Blacklight
by Virgil Stein
Summary: Bella escaped Phoenix, the target of an apparent biological terrorist attack, and arrived in Forks to live with her father. The attack not only stripped Bella of her mother, but also of her humanity. Alternate Universe. AU. Bella/Alice. Edward/Angela. Non-human Bella. Rating for violence and language. Cues from [Prototype].
1. Pilot

**Beginning notes: **_Twilight_ and its sequels and characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. Other plots, abilities, and other stuff are taken (in part) from _[Prototype]_.

* * *

**-Chapter 1: Pilot-**

The constant blaring of the jet engines saturated the cargo hold with a warm, white noise as I reclined against the curved metal hull of the plane. My eyes were closed, but I wasn't asleep; I just couldn't bear the thought of staring at the sea of black luggage or the plain-grey walls that surrounded me for another minute. I should have brought my iPod.

Another gust of wind hit my right side, scattering my long hair into my face, and I sighed under my breath in frustration. A bubble of irritation rose in my chest from my less-than-coach seating and I pressed my hands against the chilled metal of the plane, letting it soothe me back into a relaxed state. Having one of my episodes in such a confined space wouldn't be a good idea.

Above my head – barely heard over the roaring engines – I could hear the trolley rolling down the aisle of the plane, no doubt stuffed with those pathetically-small bags of peanuts and Barbie-sized wine bottles. Scenes from a movie I had never watched – _Home Alone_ – played in my head; clinking silverware and napkin tucking in first class.

"Put it in your purse," I mumbled along with my mental-movie. Did they show movies on plane rides? I couldn't remember. They should, though; it had to be just as boring for the real customers as it was for the freeloader below their feet. What were they doing up there?

I could hear whispers and the occasional back and forth between passenger and stewardess, but for the most part it was as quiet as a library. Well, apart from the engines – they didn't have _those_ in libraries. I imagined what it must be like to be a first class passenger – or even coach. The cushioned seats and trickles of food and drink arriving on trolleys. I wished I had been able to buy a ticket instead of hiding here, below.

It wasn't about the money, though. _That_ was easy enough to steal – or hell, even to earn. It was much easier to save or steal up the appropriate amount of cash to board a plane than it was to sneak on board, past the security guards and maintenance crews and employees checking luggage. Airport security was _not_ easy to get around.

And that was exactly why I couldn't pay for a ticket. It was a bit backward, I knew, and maybe I _was_ being a bit paranoid about the whole thing. But…I couldn't risk getting caught; nothing good could come of that.

My mind went to dark places as I sat there in that cargo hold, remembering my mother crying out – remembering _me_ crying out – and not being strong enough to do anything about it. Terrorism was nothing new to America, but when it knocks down the door and kills all your friends you tend to give it your full attention. Too little, too late.

Turbulence interrupted my thoughts and I leaned forward as I felt the plane shift. Another cold burst of wind hit and the hull shuddered as the landing gear was lowered. I let out a relieved sigh and used the low-hanging metal bar to brace myself with as I stood up. The luggage rocked and rattled as the plane touched down on the runway and my grip increased as the momentum threatened to push me forward.

Soon the plane came to a stop and I could hear the walkway being connected to the outside of the plane for the passengers. The engines slowed to a halt and off in the distance the motor of a smaller vehicle could be heard – probably one of those luggage collectors. I pulled the hood of my dark grey hoodie over my head and secured my backpack as I prepared to depart the aircraft.

I scrambled forward, darting through the opening I created when I snuck aboard and crouching down near one of the landing gear slots. I halted my breathing and strained my ears, waiting for an opening so I could slip away unnoticed. There were no footsteps nearby, though I could hear a group of workers coming from off in the distance.

A metallic latching sound echoed around the open hull and the air current shifted, letting me know the luggage hatch was opened and the only human being nearby wouldn't be able to see me escape. I took a breath and leaped through the landing gear hatch, landing on the pavement with a soft thud in a crouch as the air rushed out of my lungs from the impact.

I was immediately in motion, nearly a streaking blur as I sprinted across the tarmac and vaulted up the side of the airport wall. I landed silently on the large, flowing rooftop, and started to dart across the rolling hills with more care and grace. I had to make sure no one heard my steps from inside the terminal.

I crouched at the edge of the roof, peering out over the steady trickle of cars and people flow through the drop off lane – more like drop off _street_. I frowned; there were too many people around to jump down from my perch. My head swiveled up, and I cracked a smile as I caught sight of the multi-level car park that stood right across the street, looming half a story above the roof level of the airport.

My breathing paused and my senses sharpened as I scoped out the parking garage that served as the opposite side to the trench that was the unloading street for the airport. Luckily, this was Washington, so most of the people parking their cars don't want to leave them on the top level, exposed to the ever-present torrents of rain. The angle of the garage was too steep for me to get a look, but I couldn't hear any footsteps or engines running on the top level.

I took three strides backward and crouched low in a racing position, my hands nearly brushing the tips of my sneakers as I paused for a moment. My muscles bunched as I lunged forward in a short burst of speed and sprung up into the air, crossing the wide gap of intermittent traffic and making solid contact with the side of the garage.

I mentally cursed as my fingers dug into the concrete. In my effort to not overshoot the leap, I had instead undershot it, leaving me very exposed on the side of a concrete beam. I recovered quickly, scrambling up the side of the narrow wall and flipping over the metal railing that served as a safety wall for the upper level of the parking garage.

I instinctively froze, taking in my surroundings again. I was correct in my assumption, there were no people up here on the top level. Only a couple cars were parked here, pushed far away from the ramp leading down to the next level.

A sigh of relief rushed out of me and I let my shoulders sag and straightened up out of my crouch. I turned around and peered over the concrete barricade, searching for anyone on the street below who saw a girl leap across the street and climb a concrete wall like Spider-Man. There was nothing to see, though. Cars continued to unload passengers and people came and went, their heads bowed down as they continued on in ignorant bliss.

I pulled my hood down and adjusted my backpack as I started down the stairs, heading for the ground level. I walked slowly, not in any hurry, but before I knew it I was pushing past the stairwell door and heading for the crosswalk. On my way across, a taxi van honked at me for walking so leisurely in the crosswalk, but I paid him no mind. The airport didn't seem so…intimidating from outside of it, where I could see inside the glass doors and into one of the entryway lobbies.

My gaze landed on a cluster of payphones down the sidewalk, and I walked over to them. I pulled the necessary change out of the front pocket of my backpack, and deposited them into the payphone. I pushed the square, metal numbers in the correct sequence and held the phone to my ear, listening to the ringing sound in silence.

_"Forks Police Station,"_ A distracted voice said through the receiver. _"This is Deputy Marks, how may I help you?"_

"Is Charlie there?" I asked.

_"Uh…yeah, hold on; I'll transfer you,"_ Deputy Marks said. _"Hey, Chief, it's for you!"_ I heard a faint reply, though it was indistinguishable.

I smiled into the phone, remembering the police station in Forks. The entirety of it was nearly a single room – no bigger than Charlie's house – separated by partitions. Charlie was one of the only few who had an office – which was more of a large closet with a window than an actual office.

Suffice it to say, Forks was not a very dangerous town to live in, and as such the police force was rather small. Charlie took his job seriously, though; he was a cop through-and-through.

_"Chief Swan,"_ Charlie answered suddenly.

"Hi, dad," I spoke into the receiver.

_"Bella?"_ Charlie's voice sounded surprised. _"Is that you?"_

"Yeah, dad," I replied softly. "I caught a plane here a few days early. It was…cheaper." I cringed into the phone from my lie and was grateful Charlie couldn't see my face.

_"Oh,"_ Charlie said back. _"Uh…well it'll take me a while to get over to Seattle, Bells. Why didn't you call me before you boarded?"_

_Because I didn't know which plane I would hitch a ride on and couldn't have you show up waiting for me to walk out of the airport._ Of course, I couldn't tell _him_ that; he wouldn't understand.

"I just…forgot," I said lamely. "It's just…with the funeral and all, things just slipped my mind."

Charlie sighed into the phone. _"I understand, Bells,"_ he said. There was a pause, and he spoke again. _"Listen, I can get out of here early and be there in about five hours. Sit tight and get something to eat from the airport; I'll be there soon…ish."_

My insides quivered at the thought of…food, and I swallowed hard. My head fell as I took stock of how _tired_ I was. The urge to feed was getting harder and harder to resist, and the mental picture of myself in a car with Charlie for four hours made me rethink my plan. I wouldn't hurt my own father; not if I could help it.

"No, dad, that's alright," I began. "I'm really tired from the flight and I have more than enough money for a hotel room for the night. I'll take a cab to Port Angeles tomorrow and you can pick me up from there at about noon. How does that sound?" I hated to lie to him, but there were just some things I _couldn't_ tell my father.

_"I don't know, Bells,"_ Charlie said, not convinced.

"You can't just take off of work for eight hours. Who would protect the people of Forks?" I jested.

_"Ha, right,"_ Charlie snorted into the phone. He sighed, and I could hear the phone shift on his ear. _"Alright. But be careful, Bella. Go get a hotel room – stay there – and I'll pick you up tomorrow at…the Port Angeles Walmart? Is that alright?"_

"I'll be there," I confirmed. "Love you."

_"Love you, too, Bella,"_ he said before he hung up the phone.

I clicked the payphone back onto the receiver and took a step back, tilting my head up to look at the stormy sky. The constant stream of clouds crawled slowly above my head, looking like they could begin to release a torrent of water at any time. I pulled my hood back over my head and shoved my hands in my pockets, crossing the street and heading toward the center of the city.

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**End notes:** No, Bella's not a vampire. You'll figure everything out a bit later; don't you worry, now.

Updates on this one will probably be slow going, at least until _Symbiosis_ is finished and I've updated _Unstoppable Force_ and posted a few more chapters for it.

If you like this story, review it and let me know, and I'll add chapters as soon as I can.


	2. Predator

_{_

_"Damn it!" I cursed, holding my pricked finger up to my face. Blood gathered at the tip and I sighed in frustration._

_I put the piece of clothing I was trying to sew together down and got up out of my chair, heading for the kitchen. The small, black and white TV was quietly playing on the counter as I turned the faucet on and washed my finger under cold water, watching the light-red water swirl down the drain. I switched it off once I was sure the wound wasn't still bleeding and reached up toward the overhead cabinets, searching for a band aid._

_In my frustration, I accidentally tipped the small basket of medical supplies onto the floor and had to bend over to gather them back up. I huffed out a breath once I'd put all the supplies back, since it seemed we were out of bandages. I looked at my finger again, trying to decide if it was really a big deal or not that I didn't wrap it up._

_As I was deciding, the TV started making beeping sounds. I turned around and stared at the too-small screen, trying to figure out what exactly it was making those sorts of noises for. I shuffled closer and leaned forward, reading the headline at the bottom of the screen – it was still on the news station._

_BREAKING NEWS: ATTACK AT ARIZONA STATE CAPITOL BUILDING_

_}_

**-Chapter 2: Predator-**

I took my time as I strolled down the sidewalk with my hood up and my head down. Night had fallen on Seattle a little under an hour ago, and I was still looking for the best place to set up. My technique was far from perfect, but I had spent enough time in Phoenix to know the sort of place to look for.

Luckily, the part of the city I was in was dangerous looking, in the sense that there was infrequent traffic and abandoned buildings were abundant. Graffiti was painted on many of the urban surfaces, adding much-needed color to the washed-out grey hue that was on everything.

A block and a half down the street, I spotted a black, male thirty-something-year-old walking my way wearing a hoodie much like my own. I was just about to pass an alley, which would have been dark and ominous-looking if I was still normal, so I slowed down, making sure the man caught sight of me. Once his eyes met my form, I ducked into the alley, cringing at the plethora of grime and garbage littered throughout.

I stashed my backpack at the end of the alley, behind a dumpster, and moved back toward the opening I had gone through. I could hear the man approaching faster than he had been walking – he seemed to be in a hurry to get over here. I was, as well.

It was my fault; of this, I will admit. I had been putting off…_feeding_ as long as I could manage, and right now I was running nearly on empty. Usually I would make sure my victims deserved what I did to them, on some level at least. I didn't know if the guy I was about to murder deserved it or not, but I tried to convince myself that if he followed me into a dark alley, he couldn't be up to anything good. It still didn't make me feel any better, though.

The man's shadow crossed over onto the edge of one of the alley's walls and the footsteps were painfully close now. He was nearly there. My insides squirmed and writhed, shifting underneath my faux-skin. My stomach didn't growl – I didn't even know if I _had_ a stomach any more – it was more of a global hunger. I felt it in every cell of my body as my temperature continued to drop and my metabolism slowed.

My body knew what to do as the man rounded the corner and stumbled into the alley with an excited look on his face. His eyes located my silhouette, but his eyes were too weak to find my own in the darkness. He opened his mouth to say something – 'hello,' or 'do you need help?,' or maybe 'you looked lost.' – but I didn't give him time to speak.

With inhuman speed, I grabbed him by his throat and swung him around behind me, driving us away from the opening of the alley and from anyone who might come across us while we were busy. He struggled, but I barely noticed as the flesh of my hands and arms shifted into this new version of me – the _real_ me.

It was something out of a nightmare, and even now I tried to look away from my own appendages. My exposed insides were like lava – a black mass of twisting, muscular semi-solid interwoven with blood-red sinew. The black and red flowed and rippled where my arm used to be, leaving jagged shards glinting off the surface haphazardly as it tapered into my hands.

They really weren't hands any more, though.

They were claws. My fingers were hard and sharp like talons, though they were nearly a foot long and as sharp as a razor blade. The tips had embedded themselves into my prey's meaty shoulders as I held him against the wall. Blood flowed over my claws as the man gasped, his throat beginning to work up into a full-fledged scream.

I ripped my left claw out of the thin layer of muscle in his upper arm and palmed his face into the back of the wall, spurting more blood from under my hand where his face used to be. I dug my right claw out as well, and drove it straight into his torso, killing whatever was left of his dying body.

I allowed my body to move on its own, since it knew what to do. I pressed in close and my claws started to reform and melt as they began to weave a web of carnage inside his body. Tendrils erupted from my skin – all red and black – and they, too, dug into the cooling flesh in front of me.

With startling speed, the body began to shrink and dissolve as it was converted into acceptable tissue and absorbed into my body. The crawling sensation of energy flowing into me made me shiver in pleasure. My senses grew sharper and the haze that had steadily built up from the last time I fed faded completely, leaving my mind as sharp as my talons.

And then it was over.

Bits of unconvertible pulp, shredded clothing, a contorted knife, and a watch were all that was left of him. The twisting of my insides began to settle and my skin reformed, smoothing over into my familiar, pale complexion. The blood and gore that had splattered onto me sunk into my clothes and dissolved as well; nothing was wasted. I took a step back and rested against the opposite wall, bracing myself for the most unpleasant part of feeding.

Under my skin, on the back of my neck, a tingly sensation crawled up and into my brain, grabbing hold and making me double over on the concrete. I locked my jaw against the brain-scooping migraine, keeping myself from screaming as pictures and memories that weren't mine flickered through my head.

His name was Leroy Studt, and he grew up here in Seattle. He never knew his father; his mother died in childbirth – he was raised by his grandparents, who loved him very much. He had finished high school and was taking a break before he went off to a community college.

Times were hard and Leroy couldn't get a job, so he resorted to mugging. That's what he was about to do to me, so I felt marginally better; at least he wasn't a concerned citizen looking out for me. My guilt would have been infinitely worse if that were the case.

When my vision cleared, I was lying on the pavement where I had collapsed. I jumped to my feet and breathed deeply, appreciating the wholeness my body experienced. I gave my murder scene one last glance before I collected my backpack, slung it across my back, and leaped up to the roof of the building next to me. I darted across the rooftops for a couple blocks, eager to distance myself from the gore I left behind.

* * *

I was able to feed again that night when I came across a car thief. The powerful, warm feeling I felt afterward let me know I had made the right decision in glutting myself. I had no idea when the next time I could come to Seattle unnoticed would be, and I wanted to be sure I wouldn't accidentally kill Charlie. So, while I hated myself for forcing _more_ carnage into me, I felt more secure.

Right now, it was nearly eleven AM, and I was running through the forest toward Port Angeles. I would hopefully get there in time to shop for some clothes before Charlie came to pick me up. It had been a long time since I had worn _actual_ clothes and not this…this _masquerade_ of a hoodie and jeans. Real clothes were impractical, sure, but they were _normal_; and that's what I was going for when I came to live here.

I broke through the tree line and slowed to a more normal jogging speed, making my way through the smaller city toward Walmart. A few people and cars gave me strange looks, as if they'd never seen a girl jogging with a backpack on, but I tried to ignore them.

I jogged right across the Walmart parking lot and ducked inside the sliding glass doors, pulling down my hood and nodding at the elderly greeter as he welcomed me to the store. I didn't bother with a cart; instead, I headed straight for the clothing section and began to look through the different shirts and pants.

The t-shirts were much cheaper than the jeans I was sorting through, so I picked three of those – a plain black one, a brown _Star Wars_ themed one, and a dark green long-sleeved one. I picked up one pair of jeans and a light grey hoodie, which seemed to be a perfect match for the one I was 'wearing' now.

I nearly forgot to get shoes, but as I passed the limited collection Walmart had in stock I paused and started to browse. After a quick scan, I picked out a black-and-white pair of tennis shoes. They were a bit too sporty for my tastes, but I couldn't find any sneakers anywhere, so they would have to do.

I took my purchases to one of the checkout counters, glancing at the clock hanging on the far wall – 11:34; I had plenty of time. I put the clothing on the conveyor belt and swung my backpack off so I could get the money out of the side compartment. The dollars were crumpled from being jostled around so much, but they were still intact. I counted out the correct amount and handed them to the cashier.

Once my new clothes were bagged, I walked out of the first set of doors that led to the exit and went back to the entrance to the store, holding up my bag-full of clothes to the same greeter who had welcomed me as I entered the first time.

"I just have to change into the clothes I bought," I pointed my thumb in the direction of the restroom. The greeter nodded his assent and I smiled back, going into the restroom at the front of the store.

I entered the larger stall in the back and hung my backpack on the metal hook on the door. With a thought my pseudo-clothing I had been wearing melted back into my body, leaving me naked, save for my underwear I opted to keep since I didn't buy any.

I quickly dressed myself in the black t-shirt, jeans, and shoes, before I stuffed the other shirts in my backpack. I ripped the paper tag off of my new hoodie and slipped it on over my black shirt, zipping it up halfway and adjusting the hood at the back of my neck.

The Walmart bag and shoe box went straight into the trash can as I looked at myself in the mirror over the counter. I shrugged my shoulders, trying to get used to the feeling of clothing rubbing against my skin. It was a strange concept, since my appearance hadn't changed much, but it felt so…uncomfortable.

My…whatever it was that made me the way I am…it allowed me to change my appearance at will. This let me change my clothing as well – only, it wasn't _really_ clothing. It was, well, part of _me_, for lack of a better term. It looked like I was wearing a hoodie and jeans, sure, but even the texture was strange – almost alien – and gave off heat like the rest of my body.

These new clothes felt frail like paper. From the mirror, I knew they fit me alright; they _looked_ OK. But it felt like they were just hanging off of me. I stretched my arms and curled them, moving my limbs and testing the way the clothing stretched. I honestly kept expecting them to tear at one point.

My self-examination was interrupted by another shopper entering the restroom, shocking me out of my stare-down with the mirror and prompting me into action. I huffed, not quite finished with my analysis of _why_ I felt uncomfortable wearing something so ordinary, and slipped out of the restroom with my backpack.

I felt a phantom blush settle in my cheeks and neck as I noticed the familiar police cruiser parked next to the curb as I stepped onto the sidewalk outside the supermarket. I ducked my head as I approached the car, smiling at my father through the passenger window before I opened the door and scooted inside the cab. Charlie started the car and pulled away, exiting the parking lot and heading onto the highway.

"Didn't know you were there yet, Bells," Charlie grunted. "You get here OK?"

"Oh," I turned my head to glance at him. "Um, yes, I did. I had to get a new hoodie for school – I also picked out a few shirts." Charlie nodded, keeping his eyes on the road.

My father was a quiet man who was sometimes awkward to be around – traits I had apparently inherited. His hair and eyes were the same shade as mine – brown on brown – though his hair was obviously shorter. His mustache made him seem gruffer; and maybe that's what he was going for, since he was the police chief of Forks.

The hour-long ride to forks was mostly silent as I looked out of the passenger window at the sea of green that flew by with more and more frequency as we went further into the Olympic peninsula. It was a comfortable silence, though, and neither of us felt any need to interrupt it with small talk.

As I looked back over at Charlie, I could see the wear and tear Renée's death had had on him. He still loved her, I was sure, and took her death nearly as badly as I had. We didn't talk about it often – in fact, the whole incident was best left forgotten as far as Charlie was concerned. I couldn't blame him for that.

"Oh," Charlie said suddenly as we reached the Forks city limit sign. "I almost forgot. I got you a car – well, a truck. Got a real good deal on it, too." My eyes widened.

"You didn't have to do that, Ch-dad," I replied. "I would have been fine walking."

"In Forks?" Charlie gave me a look. "Bella, I wouldn't have let you walk to school in the rain. Just…consider it a homecoming present."

I nodded grudgingly and went back to looking out of the window. It would do me no good to argue; and besides, a driving my own vehicle would be better than getting a ride with Charlie in his cruiser. I shivered at the thought of being dropped off in a cop car.

Eventually, we arrived at the house – _my_ house, from now on. It looked much the same as it did the last time I was here; the pale paint job and the slightly-overgrown driveway were familiar. The ground was almost completely mud, and surrounded the entire building, spattering on the concrete foundation.

The fire-engine red truck that sat in front of the house brought a smile to my face as I climbed out of the cruiser and pulled my backpack from the back seat. It was a _very_ old model, though I didn't know much about cars, and looked well-maintained. It was a good choice of a vehicle for me, all things considered.

Charlie showed me to my room and left me to my own devices after he informed me I would be starting school at Forks High on Monday. I would be a senior. Luckily, it was Thursday, so I had an extended weekend before I went back to the daily grind of normal life.

I laughed out loud at the thought of _normal_, though I was honestly looking forward to the monotony of it. This would be a _good _change for me.

* * *

**End notes:** Oh, wow; you guys must like this story or something. 13 reviews, 50 followers, and 21 favorites (as of this posting) for the _first_ chapter. That's pretty awesome.

And yes, Bella's probably going to still be immune to mental powers. I'm not saying for certain, since I haven't gotten that far yet, but yes, more likely than not.


	3. Welcome to Forks High

_{_

_My dexterity failed me as my shaking fingers attempted to dial the correct number. I was holding the phone too tightly, I knew, but I couldn't relax my grip. Finally, the familiar ringing sound came from the speaker and I pressed the plastic against my ear._

_The steady beeping of the 'busy line' sound came through the phone and I pulled it away from my face, ending the call and trying again. And again. And again._

_The line was busy – the _emergency line_ was busy!_

_I sunk to my knees and grasped my head in my hands, trying to pull myself together. I let out a small shriek of frustration as the hysteria continued to build, and stormed out of the house with my car keys in hand. I started the car and drove off in a hurry toward the capitol building, hoping and praying that it was OK – that she was alright._

_}_

**-Chapter 3: Welcome to Forks High-**

I stared up at the dusty, off-white ceiling as I lied on my bed. Microscopic cracks ran through the plaster, and I wondered just how long it had been since anyone had painted this room. It was somewhere around six in the morning on a Monday, and I could clearly hear Charlie shuffling around in his room, getting dressed.

His door opened down the hall and heavy, sneaking footsteps drew closer to my door. I closed my eyes and relaxed my muscles, giving the illusion of sleep as my door cracked open with a squeak that was anything but quiet. After a few seconds, the door was closed again and I reopened my eyes, staring at my door as Charlie descended the stairs and walked into the kitchen.

I was conflicted on my lack of nighttime habits. Staying spread out in a bed I don't need all night, having nothing to entertain myself with, was absurdly boring. Sometimes I would let my mind drift, freely thinking and imagining anything it wanted to – my mother often starred in these fantasies of a future I would never have. Other nights, I would stare out of the window by my bed, counting the stars and trying to find the various constellations.

I never went out, though; I always conserved my energy. I never got tired unless I was hungry – that much was a truth – but the more physically _active_ I was, the more often I needed to go out and _feed_. And so, I always remained immobile at night, lying awake in my bed as I pretended to sleep for Charlie's sake.

Charlie's footsteps led out the door and I heard his car start and drive away down the street toward the police station, fading out of my range of hearing. I glanced at my digital clock and sighed, realizing it was time to get up and get dressed for school – my first day of school.

I dressed quickly, pulling on the same pair of jeans I had worn on the drive into Forks and the long-sleeved green shirt that was still unworn. Luckily, there were still clothes here from my infrequent visits over the years, though about half of them didn't fit. Still, I would have a wider selection than three shirts and a pair of pants to cycle through. I pulled on my socks and shoes and walked across the hallway and into the bathroom.

My reflection grimaced back at me as I peered into the mirror. The person before me looked too innocent to be such a monster – too frail and weak. My sharp, brown eyes stared back at me, their predatory glint the only break in my otherwise oblivious-looking appearance.

I looked around the rest of the bathroom, checking to make sure nothing had to be done before I left for school. I didn't need a shower and I certainly didn't need to use the toilet, so I turned around and walked out as I kept my eyes off the mirror. I grabbed my hoodie from the coat hanger downstairs and locked the door behind me as I stepped outside.

It was the middle of November, but the weather here was nothing like Arizona. It was much colder than I had expected it to be, my breath visible in the chilled morning air. The sun was hidden behind the thick layer of clouds in the sky, and I wondered if I would need a better jacket than the simple hoodie I had on. Surly normal people would be bundled up in this weather.

I shook the thought from my head and walked to my new truck. I had on enough clothing that no one would question me; I would shop for a warmer coat the next time I was in Port Angeles or Seattle. The ancient Chevy started with a roar of power, shaking the frame and making me smile at the sound. It wasn't quite a tank, but it was damn sturdy. I cranked the shifter into reverse and backed out of the driveway, heading toward the school building.

I missed the entrance to the parking lot of the school on my first pass, not expecting the 'school' to actually be a collection of small buildings. I was used to busy hallways and crowded cafeterias, but if the size of the 'school' was anything to go by, I would be shocked if there were three hundred people on the whole campus – including faculty.

My loud truck maneuvered into the lot near the tiny building with the word 'office' painted across the front door, and I shut off the engine before I jumped out. I entered the office and cleared my throat to get the red-haired secretary's attention. She jumped and looked at me in confusion for a moment.

"Hi," I said. "I'm Isabella Swan – I'm new here. I need to get my class schedule."

"Oh, of course," the slightly-chubby secretary said, jumping into motion and shuffling papers around on her desk. "Isabella Swan. We've been expecting you." She handed me a piece of paper with my schedule printed on it and I thanked her as I walked back outside.

Cars were just starting to arrive in the parking lot a bit further down, which I assumed was reserved for students, so I hopped back in my truck and followed the line of vehicles. I parked near the front, so I wouldn't have to walk through the lot to get to my first class – Spanish. I climbed out of my truck and pulled my hood up as I walked toward the building marked 'B,' which was where the classroom was located.

I could, of course, hear most of the whispers about me as I walked up to the shack of a building. I was distracted, though, and paid them no mind as students wondered who I was and what I looked like. I hadn't given it a second thought, since Forks was so different from Phoenix, but there was no security guarding the school. No metal detectors at the doorways and no stationed guards monitoring the grounds.

The infection hadn't even touched here, and I wondered if any of the students had even heard about what happened in Arizona. I'm sure it was on the news – of course it was – but there was no fear of exposure here for these people; they walked freely and without worry.

A part of me felt guilty for bringing the danger to them, but another, larger part reveled in it – in the 'out of sight, out of mind' approach that was so unhealthy, yet so seductive. Regardless, it made me more resolute in my decision to make things different here; to start over and be Bella Swan.

The first few classes flew by faster than I had imagined. I had been made to introduce myself in two of them, but at least doing so alleviated some of the questions some of the students had been asking me. It was a little disconcerting, how person after person would ask me how I liked Forks or why I moved here. Most would smile and introduce themselves as well, and even if I wasn't so focused on keeping my body in a human shape, I was sure I would still be unnerved by the attention.

But that's not _all_ there was to the feeling – the tingle that went up my spine. I felt…tense, for lack of a better word. It wasn't quite 'fear,' but my senses were on high alert like a normal person jacked up on caffeine; I was unable to relax. It was during Calculus, the class right before lunch, when I found the source of my strange nerves.

I sat down in the empty seat Mr. Varner directed me toward after another awkward introduction. My head instantly went into my hands as I could feel the stares of nearly every student in the room on me. I could also feel the hint of anger and embarrassment building up, so I tried to block everything else out as I waited for the pompous math teacher to begin the lesson.

"Hi," a quiet voice said to my right. I turned to find a brown-haired girl with glasses smiling shyly at me. "I'm Angela Weber." I smiled at her, noticing that she didn't assume who I was – even though she probably already knew – or ask me why I moved here.

"Bella Swan," I replied back, feeling the urge to rend Mr. Varner into pieces fade to a more manageable level.

I turned back to the front of the class as Mr. Varner began to write an equation on the board, silently signaling the other students to open their notebooks and copy it down. I followed their example and began to scribble it down on my notebook paper, when the door to the classroom was nearly slammed into the wall.

I flinched, gripping the wooden desk I was sitting at and wincing as I heard it crack under my strength. Many of the students – and even the teacher – also started at the abrupt interruption. A pale boy stormed in with a twisted expression painted on his face like he was out to kill someone, and my eyes widened as his gaze locked with mine.

He was tall and lanky, with wild reddish-brown hair that seemed to have a life of its own. His features were perfectly symmetrical, and without blemish, though my eyes continued to scan for an imperfection on his skin. There was something _wrong_ with him – something obvious I was missing – but I couldn't place it.

My insides twisted against my strained control as I stared into his onyx eyes, feeling that familiar shiver go up my spine. I didn't know how I knew, or why, but this boy was _dangerous_. I fought back against my instincts, which wanted to slice and kill and get _away_ from this boy. Our staring contest was ended by good ol' Mr. Varner, who cleared his throat and admonished the boy on his rude – and late – entrance into the classroom.

"Mr. Cullen," he said. "So nice of you to show up to class; I trust you have an explanation for your tardiness?" I stared at the wood-grain surface of my desk, willing myself not to look at the Cullen boy.

"I apologize for being late to your class, Mr. Varner," he replied in a velvet-smooth voice. "My sister forgot her history book in my car; I had to go unlock it for her. I assure you, it will not happen again."

"See that it doesn't," Mr. Varner replied in a superior tone, ending the scene and allowing the class to resume the lesson.

The Cullen boy sat down on the other side of Angela, who was looking at him in both confusion and worry. The boy shook his head at her before he gave a slight nod, looking resigned, and snapped his attention to the front of the classroom. Angela followed his example, and soon the strangeness evaporated into a mostly-mundane Calculus lesson.

Lunch was next, and I dutifully followed the direction the rest of the students were heading toward as I replayed the incident with the Cullen boy in my head – I didn't even know his first name. A chatterbox of a girl named Jessica invited me to sit with her at lunch, which I unfortunately accepted. I reminded myself, as Jessica told me about her boyfriend, Mike, that it was good for me to make friends.

The cafeteria was larger than I had expected from my first few classes. It wasn't quite the size of the one at my school in Phoenix, but it seemed more appropriate for the much smaller number of students Forks High held. I followed Jessica to the salad bar and filled my plate with lettuce, spreading a miniscule amount of Italian dressing over the green leaves.

The table I sat at was uncomfortably full, every seat taken as Jessica and I took our places. I ducked my head as the table's population looked at me with curiosity, unscrewing the cap from my water bottle and taking a small sip. I pursed my lips at the feeling of the liquid in my mouth; it was cold and strange as it sloshed and was eventually absorbed into my body.

Almost nothing from my previous life was compatible with my body, I had soon discovered after I woke up like this. I had no taste buds, as far as I could tell, and so anything I tried to eat would be nothing but a tasteless mass, usually slimy and uncomfortable. The chunks I had managed to swallow in my first attempts were forcefully expelled by my body, sometimes back through my mouth and other times pushed through my skin, like some twisted form of osmosis.

Water was different, though. I suppose the best comparison I could make would be chewing gum. It's not nutritional, and not needed for my survival, but I am able to take it into my body without any violent effects.

"Hi, everyone, this is Isabella," Jessica introduced. "Bella, this is Mike, Tyler, Lauren, Katie, and Eric." She pointed to each of them as she said their name and they nodded to me or waved.

"It's just Bella," I put on a smile. "And it's nice to meet you." Smalltalk erupted around the table, leaving me free to relax into myself and enjoy the time away from class.

My mental siesta was interrupted by that unnerving feeling, and I looked around the healthily-crowded cafeteria, searching for the source. My eyes locked on a table against one of the walls, populated with five people. I recognized Angela and the Cullen boy from Calculus class, but the other three I had never seen before.

The one who immediately drew my attention was an enormous, dark-brown-headed brick shithouse of a man who was sitting across from Angela and the unnamed boy. I say man, because there was _no way_ anyone could look at the size of his arms and not feel slightly afraid. His face was open, though; quite a contradiction to his intimidating muscles. A smile stretched across the wide space between his cheeks like it was a permanent fixture, making him seem somewhat friendly.

The blonde girl sitting closely next to him was painful to look at. If I thought the Cullen boy in Calculus had perfected features, she had an overly-perfected beauty. I couldn't place her expression; it was almost void of emotion, like a poker player, and she seemed to be closest to the muscled man next to her.

The last girl, sitting on Angela's other side, was…tiny. That was the easiest and most obvious way to describe her. She was sitting down, so I might have been a few inches off, but she couldn't have been more than five foot tall with her shortly-spiked, raven-black hair. I was unable to see her face, but I assumed she had the same strange symmetrical beauty the others – save Angela – seemed to have.

"Bella?" Jessica's voice called, drawing my attention back to my table. "What are you looking at? Oh." She followed my gaze to the table I was staring at across the cafeteria and scrunched her nose, as though she could smell something bad. "Looking at the Cullens?"

"They're _all_ Cullens?" I questioned, my eyebrows rising. That would be quite a large family, though it explained why they looked so similar.

"Well, no," Jessica whispered, leaning in like she was about to tell me a bit of juicy gossip. "Angela Weber is dating Edward Cullen, the one sitting next to her. He, Emmett – the huge guy – and Alice – the weird, little one – are all related. They were all adopted by Dr. and Mrs. Cullen, who can't have children of their own." She said that last bit with distaste, like it made them less-than-human that they couldn't conceive.

"What about the blonde?" I questioned, noticing the girl in question turn her head and glare at me with goldenrod-colored eyes. The color was odd, especially since Emmett had the same colored eyes as her – perhaps a shade lighter. But, Jessica hadn't said the two were related.

"That's Rosalie Hale," I didn't have to see the eye roll to know it was there. "She's a foster kid or something and she's with Emmett; like, _with_ Emmett."

"Oh," I replied, nodding like I understood where her dislike came from. "I only had Edward in one of my classes so far; I don't think he likes me very much." I recalled the pure-black eyes that glared at me, wondering what I had done to upset him.

"The Cullens don't like _anyone_," another girl with blonde hair sneered. "Well, except for Angela." I frowned at the remark, but didn't comment. I had the feeling this girl – Lauren, if I remembered correctly – wouldn't appreciate me telling her Angela was quite nice to me.

I took another small sip of my water as I resumed my unhealthy Cullen-watching, trying to figure out what my instincts were trying to tell me besides _dangerous_. My eyes scanned over their skin one-by-one, comparing it to Angela's, and I stilled as I finally noticed what I should have seen all along.

My predatory sense of sight allowed me unparalleled vision, even in the blackest of nights, and so I was able to see things across the cafeteria at a level a normal person would need a microscope to see. The surfaces of their faces – of all the Cullens – were perfect; too perfect. The tiny hairs and pores that wove together on the skin of a normal human were missing completely with them.

I continued to stare in wonder at them, even as Edward shook his head and a nearly-silent hiss escaped one of their mouths.

What were they?

* * *

**End notes:** So there you go; Bella's first encounter with the vampires.

Jasper probably won't be in this story since, if you think about it, Alice found Jasper and brought him to the Cullens. Since they're not mates in this story, Alice never had the vision of Jasper and never went to wait for him.


	4. Back in Black

_{_

_I drove like mad, cringing each time I went through a stoplight as the other cars honked at me. It didn't slow me down, though; I had to keep going. She had to be OK._

_The radio talked of nothing but the attack. The host was speculating as to what happened, but it was obvious no details were being released to the public. I let out a sob as I thought of what could have happened to her._

_A terrorist attack!_

_I hadn't had time for denial when I watched the announcement; I simply reacted. Now, all I could think about was how she was going to be OK. She was fine; she probably left already by the time all this started. She would be home, wondering where I was and why I was so hysterical._

_I gripped the wheel and drove faster. I had to know for sure; I couldn't leave this to chance._

_}_

**-Chapter 4: Back in Black-**

World History and Chemistry passed quickly and without incident. Angela had been in the history class with me, but she avoided eye contact whenever I glanced at her. I could feel her looking at me as I stared at the front of the class, but I tried to ignore the stares. The large Cullen, Emmett, was in my Chemistry class. He wasn't so shy – nor was he standoffish like Edward had been.

He seemed to be…intensely happy or excited as he looked at me from the back of the classroom – I hadn't been partnered with him, thank goodness. I tried to pay attention to the lesson as best as I could, but every chance I had to bend to get a pencil from my backpack or pass a worksheet behind me, I would look at him. My eyes always flickered across his face and neck, the smoothness of his skin completely, inhumanly perfect.

Jessica had filled me in on the Cullens during the bottom half of the lunch period. They were all seniors, though Edward and Alice had been pushed up a grade before they moved to Forks from Alaska. Alice and Edward were assumed to have been dating one another, like their siblings were, until Angela started seeing Edward. This hadn't stopped Jessica from asking the mean-spirited Edward out on several dates, though. She was confident he would tire of Angela eventually.

When the bell rang, I allowed Emmett to pass beside me and leave first as I pretended to fumble with my books. He walked smoothly – much differently than the lumbering gait I had imagined – and slowed as he went past. The muscles of his back bunched under his shirt as he turned to look at me, smiling with a television-worthy white smile. I didn't miss the way the light glinted off the _very_ sharp edges of each tooth.

My last class of the day was Gym, and I cringed just thinking about it. Before…_this_ had happened, I had been a klutz – always tripping and hurting myself. I could hurt myself just walking across a flat floor, and it was worse when obstacles were involved. I didn't have to worry about hurting _myself_ anymore, but I had to concentrate on containing my strength.

It had taken me several weeks before I didn't break everything I touched, and even then it still happened occasionally. I didn't know exactly how strong I was; just that it was enough to lift a car over my head one-handed. If I kicked a ball too hard or bumped into someone, I could _seriously_ hurt a classmate or even kill them.

Of course, another part of me thought my concern was idiotic. I _killed_ people almost twice a month, and here I was worrying about hitting some kid too hard with a dodge ball. I pushed the thought away and focused on not hurting anyone here, where I lived. There was no sense in needless murder if I wasn't feeding.

"Who're you?" a voice asked. I turned to look at an overweight man who was obviously the coach, if his shorts and the whistle that was around his neck was anything to go by.

"Bella Swan," I said, walking closer to the coach as students walked around me and headed for the locker room. "It's my first day." The man grunted and nodded to himself.

"I'm Coach Clapp," the man introduced himself. "You'll sit out today, but you'll need shorts and a plain t-shirt to dress out tomorrow. You can sit on the bleachers until the class is over with." He nodded toward the single set of retractable bleachers that were extended and I headed toward them without comment.

I perched on the highest bench of the bleacher set, both to distance myself physically from the other students, who were already beginning to trickle out of the locker room doors, as well as to give me a better view of the gym. The students – mostly dressed in grey tones – sat against the collapsed bleachers on the other end of the gym, apparently waiting for class to start.

Emmett Cullen walked out as well, making the others look like dwarfs as he followed the flow and took his place among the students as well. I cocked my head to the side as I noticed the students shying away from him. It didn't look like a conscious action – it was more of a subtle discomfort. I didn't know if it had to do with his size, or whatever linked himself and the other members of his family, but I watched regardless.

Suddenly, another Cullen came out of one of the locker room doors. If I hadn't had remembered her from her spiky hair cut or small stature, I would have recognized the strange way all of them seemed to move. The phrase 'economy of motion' came to mind, but it was an entirely different story with this girl – Alice, I remembered her name from lunch.

She seemed to skip and dance across the wood-paneled gym floor instead of gliding or walking. While she was small, her presence was as large as Emmett's. Suddenly, she turned as she was on her way to join her brother, and I was able to see her face for the first time.

She was just as beautiful as Rosalie, her wide eyes alive and sparkling above a button nose and coral lips. Her expression was the polar opposite of Rosalie, though; it was friendly and open, without a hit of malice or perpetual anger. I found myself unable to look away as I absorbed her features and watched her move.

And then, out of nowhere, her golden eyes met mine. She froze in place and flickered through several facial expressions at such a speed that if I were normal I wouldn't have caught them. Shock, eyes wide, eyebrows peaked, and mouth open. Confusion…or concentration, her mouth curling into a puckered frown as her brow fell nearly to her eyes. And finally a sort of contained excitement, a well-crafted smile on her pale face.

Admittedly, I watched her throughout the class period. It was some sort of 'free day' in gym, and everyone was either walking around the perimeter of the gym floor or grouping together with others to play basketball. Alice grouped with Emmett, unsurprisingly, and a few other brave students to play a game.

When the coach called everyone back into the locker rooms, I noticed the dripping sweat beading on most of the student's brows and turning their grey t-shirts darker as they moistened. Neither Emmett nor Alice seemed to be sweating or fatigued at all, though. They glided into the locker rooms just as poised and composed as they were at the beginning of the class.

In the back of my mind, I wondered if they were something like me as I glanced at my own arm, the pale imitation of flesh and skin completely different from the Cullens' – and yet just as different from a normal person's. I stopped my internal comparisons as the bell rang, stepping down from the bleachers and heading for my truck. I would have plenty of time to think everything over tonight.

On my way out to the parking lot, a few of the kids I had sat at lunch with waved and told me goodbye as they headed for their own cars. I nodded and waved back, ducking my head and continuing to my parking spot. I opened the door to my truck and tossed in my backpack before I climbed inside the cab and closed the door behind me.

I sat in the semi-isolation of the cab for a few moments with my hands on the steering wheel as I leaned back in the cushioned seat and closed my eyes. I could still hear students talking in the lot, as well as the hustle and bustle of a multitude of footsteps hitting the pavement, but the truck's enclosure muted them enough that I began to feel slightly normal.

A strange hissing sound forced me to open my eyes, and I looked around the thinning parking lot for the source. My eyes ran across the rear-view mirror and I caught sight of what I _knew_ was where the sound was coming from. The Cullens plus Angela stood around two new-looking cars – one an enormous red jeep, and the other a sleek, silver car.

They were arranged similarly to how they sat in the cafeteria; Angela and Edward were paired up, as were Rosalie and Emmett. Alice stood with her back directly facing me, waving her hands about like she was angry – and maybe she was. The others all wore various masks of concern, their brows pulled down and frowns framing their faces.

I strained my ears to listen in, but their hushed whispers coupled with the cab's enclosure prevented me from making out more than the tones of their voices. I huffed out a breath of annoyance, somehow instinctually _knowing_ they were talking about me. The way Angela would glance at my truck every ten seconds only made my assumption more concrete.

Deciding there was nothing I could do at the moment, I started my truck and rolled out of the parking lot, only partially considering ramming into their vehicles out of anger. I smirked at the mental image of their expressions in my head, but conceded my fantasy would have to be enough. I didn't think Charlie would like it very much if I crushed two cars on my first day of school.

After I got home, I headed upstairs and did what little homework had been assigned. The calculus problems took the longest, but I was finished with everything sooner than I had imagined – only about an hour of work. Since I had the time right now, I dug through the old clothes in my closet, pulling out an old t-shirt and a pair of shorts. I tucked them into the second compartment in my backpack for gym and put it beside my bed.

I went into the bathroom as I replayed Alice's face in my mind. My reflection gazed back at me in a daze, a half-smile starting to crack up my face at how smoothly she seemed to dance around the gymnasium. I focused on my face and let my more primitive brain take control, directing its focus to my eyes.

Immediately, my chocolate brown irises lightened and morphed into a stunning golden hue. I chuckled at the color, blinking a few times and tilting my head to get a better look. After a few minutes of vanity, I rolled my eyes at myself and switched back to my normal appearance. I thought the gold looked amazing; it was too bad I had already introduced myself with brown eyes.

I couldn't stand to be upstairs any more, especially since it would be where I would lie immobile for eight hours or so, so I went downstairs and into the kitchen. I opened up the cabinets and drawers, taking stock of what few cooking items Charlie actually had in his kitchen. It was obvious he ate out a lot. I scrunched my nose as I thought about what I could make for his dinner. _I_ might not need to eat real food, but Charlie sure did.

It was at that moment that I heard Charlie's cruiser pull into the drive, the car door opening and shutting before the front door was opened and Charlie stepped inside the house. He was carrying a case of beer in one hand and his keys in the other as he walked into the kitchen, setting both of the items down on the counter and turning to me.

"Hey, Bells," he greeted. I smiled and nodded.

"Hi, dad," I replied. "What did you want to do for dinner? You don't exactly have a lot of cooking options here." Charlie snorted a laugh and nodded as he opened the case of beer and put a few in the refrigerator.

"Yeah, I know. I actually invited Billy and Jacob over to watch the game, so…" he trailed off.

"Let me guess," I rolled my eyes. "Beer and pizza? You know, you can't be eating like that all the time, dad." Charlie considered what I said for a moment and reached into one of the overhead cabinets, pulling out a jar.

"Tell you what," he said, as he unscrewed the cap and dumped a roll of ten and five dollar bills on the counter. "How about you be in charge of the food stuff? Go out and get some food tomorrow. I'll leave it entirely in your hands." He handed me the roll of cash and I took it with a smile on my face.

"That's probably one of the smartest ideas you've ever had," I jested, eliciting a small huff of a laugh from Charlie as he finished unpacking and putting away his badge and gun. "Any requests?"

"No," Charlie shook his head. "Just…no food experiments, OK? I know your mother used to…" he cut off as he saw my face undoubtedly fall. "Oh hell, I'm sorry, Bella. I didn't mean to bring it up…" I shook my head and put on what I hoped was a reassuring smile.

"It's alright," I told him. "I can't expect it to never come up. It just took me by surprise, that's all – don't worry about it." Charlie grunted and nodded, clearly uncomfortable, and shuffled into the living room to probably watch some television.

* * *

Jake and Billy showed up about ninety minutes later, the former pushing the latter in a wheelchair as they arrived at the door. Billy looked ancient compared to my father, though I knew they were close in age. His wide, rust-colored face was lined with wrinkles that made him seem like some sort of native wise-man, but his infectious smile as he thanked Charlie for the hospitality contradicted the 'stoic' personality I had imagined.

His son, Jacob, was enormous. He was _tall_ – over six-and-a-half feet, I was sure. He had the same dark copper tone of skin and his black hair was buzzed short. Underneath the t-shirt he wore, I could see the bulges and ridges of well-toned muscle. Unlike his father, though, Jacob wasn't smiling.

His nose was flared and he wore a look of confusion as his dark eyes flitted around the room several times before they settled on me. His chest rose as he took in a deep breath, causing him to freeze as his eyes narrowed at me minutely. A low-pitched rumbling came from his chest, the vibrations visible in the threads of his t-shirt. His fists clenched and my eyes widened in confusion and…fear.

"Jacob," Charlie greeted the giant, seemingly unaware of the silent exchange. "You remember Bella, right?"

Jacob blinked and shook his head, appearing to come out of some sort of trance or daydream as he looked at my father. He nodded and looked back at me again, this time with less anger and more…_curiosity_?

"Yeah, I remember," he said, his voice deep and friendly. "We used to get dumped together while the two of you went fishing." He smirked at the two adults, who both chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah," Charlie said. "Hey, Billy, you wanna beer?"

"Sure, sure," Billy replied, his voice an even deeper, more grizzled version of Jacob's.

Billy wheeled further into the living room, settling next to one of the reclining chairs, while Charlie ducked into the kitchen to get the beers. I followed him in and leaned against the counter, not quite comfortable alone with two people I really didn't remember. I chuckled lowly – as if I would be in any danger against a paraplegic and his too-tall son.

Jacob meandered into the kitchen a few minutes after Charlie left; I could hear the beer cans cracking open and the announcer speaking on the TV. He took a spot on the counter that ran perpendicular to the one I was leaning against and gave me that strange look again. Not the aggressive one – he looked like he was trying to solve some sort of a puzzle.

"Are you…" he started, but cut himself off.

"What?"

"Are you alright?"

It was a strange question. I would have expected a 'how are you doing' or a 'so, how have you been;' but not 'are you alright.' I cocked an eyebrow at him and considered whether or not to just ignore him and go suffer through a sports event with the parental units. Jacob must have seen the look on my face, because he clarified.

"It's just…you…are you sick?" he finally managed to ask. I furrowed my brow in response before I locked down my expression.

_Are you sick?_

Yes. You could say I was _incredibly_ sick. I wondered if he could see my face blanch as much as I felt it, and I was suddenly lucky I could no longer lose the color in my face. Jacob moved closer to me, concern and regret painting his face as he reached for one of my hands. I was too stunned to move, and both of us gasped as his hand clasped mine.

His hands were _hot_.

Jacob seemed to come to the same conclusion, since my temperature tended to run high when I was 'full.' He didn't let go, though. His hand tightened in mine, to the point that were I a normal teenage girl, it would have _seriously_ hurt. I flexed my fingers and pulled gently, trying to coax him to let go of his own accord. No such luck. I wrapped my other hand around his wrist and pulled away from him, breaking his grip effortlessly.

If I had blanched before, the look on Jacob's face was doubly so. He swallowed and took a step back, his eyes seeming to darken and that look of aggression swimming back onto his face. He turned abruptly and walked to the entrance to the living room, ducking around the corner so he was still halfway inside the kitchen with me.

"Hey, Bella and I are going to go catch up outside," Jacob told them, making my eyes narrow. My insides squirmed as my suspicion grew, my instincts preparing to fight him off even as I tried to calm down.

"Sure thing," Charlie said. "Just don't go in the woods; there was another animal attack last week. Stay close to the house." Jacob must have nodded, because he simply ducked back around the corner and went to the back door in the kitchen.

I followed him outside into the back yard, staying several yards behind him as he walked with clenched fists. The sun had long since gone down, though I had absolutely no trouble seeing at night. The lights from inside the house reached out and cast deep shadows as we walked. Once we were nearly to the tree line, he spun around and glared at me.

"What is this?" I asked before he opened his mouth. "What is your problem?" I clenched my fists as well to keep in control of my anger, even as Jacob sneered at me.

"What are you?" he asked. I gaped at him, unable to form words. How did he know? Certainly a fever isn't enough…

"What?" I immediately replied. "I don't…" I swallowed the lump in my throat as I stared at him, completely befuddled.

"You don't have a pulse," he said, looking at where my heart would be on my chest. "_What_ are you?" he repeated.

My instinctual response was to rush him and kill him. We were near the tree line and I was sure I could snap his neck before he got a word out. My god, he _knew_! My more rational mind reeled, trying to find some alternative. I couldn't kill him; my dad knew his dad – we knew each other as kids!

Jacob moved closer as I was in my mental tailspin and I reacted, lashing out and slamming my hands into his chest. His body went sailing into the woods, snapping several of the trees as he hit each of them. I froze in place again, my hand still outstretched. Oh, no! I had killed him! I took a step toward the carnage I knew would be there, when a deep growl came from behind the cover of the trees.

An enormous russet-colored wolf stepped into my line of sight from inside the forest, his dark eyes nearly glowing as it bared its teeth and crouched. It was at least the size of a horse, though I wasn't sure how that was _possible_. I knew that wolves didn't get that big. Behind me, I could hear footsteps on linoleum and hushed voices. Charlie was coming outside to investigate the noise, I knew.

I gritted my teeth and blurred into the forest, bypassing the wolf and hoping it would follow me instead of going after Charlie. It wasn't even ten seconds of running before I was tackled by a blob of heat and fur, causing me to tumble into a few trees of my own, cracking the bark as I went. I flipped back onto my feet and crouched in a fighting position, letting my flesh reform and mould my hands into the all-too-familiar red and black claws.

It was in that moment, when I realized that no ordinary wolf could have followed me at the speeds I was running – nearly ninety miles-per-hour. The wolf hesitated too, taking a step back and letting its lips slip back across its razor-sharp teeth. I straightened out of my crouch, but kept my claws out in case it decided to attack.

I did not expect what happened next.

The wolf shuddered and instantly popped into Jacob. Literally. One second the wolf was there, and the next…Jacob Black was standing naked in place of the enormous animal. My mouth fell open in shock as my hands reformed on their own, and I knew if I had been a normal girl I would have fainted at the sight.

"So," Jacob said hesitantly, but with less animosity and more caution. "I guess we have a lot to talk about?"

I nodded; incapable of speaking.

* * *

**End notes:** So... I realized I sort of messed up, having Edward, Alice, Rosalie, and Emmett in school at the same time if it was during the Senior year. I made it work out though, as you can tell. It didn't seem right to write out the oldest Cullen children just because they would have graduated already.

Thanks for the reviews and 'please update' messages. Those are great, too.

And I realize this story would fit inside the Twilight/Prototype crossover section, but I'm not going to add it. No characters from Prototype will appear; this story's not even taking place in the same 'universe.' The idea for the powers was borrowed (and that's why I gave props to Prototype), but I don't really think that's enough to call it a straight-up 'crossover.'

Alrighty, then.


	5. People Are Friends, Not Food

**Edited 13 June 2013**

* * *

_{_

_I slammed on the brakes to keep from crashing into the barricade. A police officer and a couple of men in combat gear with large guns sprinted over to my car. They were shouting something at me through the glass, but all I could focus on was the horizon._

_A couple helicopters spun above what I knew was the capitol building. A thin stream of smoke rose up like a pillar into the sky, which must have been enormous, since I was at least three miles away. I gaped at the reality of it, gasping for breath as I strained against my seatbelt._

_My door was pulled open roughly and the barrel of a gun blocked me from the outside. It wasn't raised toward me, but the man holding it looked absolutely pissed at me. He was yelling at me, pointing behind me imperiously. I licked my lips and shook my head._

_"No, I have to get through," I croaked. The man shook his head and motioned for another man to come over. "My daughter…she was in the library. Please. You have to let me through."_

_}_

**-Chapter 5: People Are Friends, Not Food-**

"So," Jacob said hesitantly. "I guess we have a lot to talk about?" I nodded my head, unable to speak.

I replayed what just happened in my mind, but it just wouldn't 'take.' I should be _used_ to this level of weird, but all I could think about was how ridiculous and farfetched a human being turning into a gigantic wolf was.

And yet…here he was, alive and well and _completely_ naked.

I turned my head away and looked at the ground, though Jacob didn't seem to be all too worried about modesty. I chanced a look back at his face, which was tilted down as he stared at my mid section. His fingers wiggled slightly – I don't even think he knew he was doing it – and I realized what he was looking at. My hands; my very normal looking hands, which, only a few seconds ago, had been replaced with vicious claws.

Both of our heads snapped in the same direction as a distant wolf howl rang out, penetrating the quiet of the forest. Moments later, the sound of Charlie's voice wafted from the other direction, steadily moving closer. I took a step in his direction, not wanting him to find the wolf boy stark naked in the woods. Jacob bolted in front of me suddenly, his skin vibrating as he blocked my path.

"We have to talk about this," he gritted through his teeth. The wolf howl got closer to us. My eyes widened as I considered what that could mean.

"Is that…" I tried to find the right words. "Is that another one of _you_? A wolf person?" Jacob hesitated, but nodded, keeping his eyes on me like I would blow up at any moment.

I let out a breath and shook my head, dodging around Jacob so I could stop my dad from going any farther into the woods. A fevered hand clamped down on my wrist and tugged with inhuman strength. I froze, my muscles bunching as I waited for his next move.

"You're not going near him," Jacob growled out. I sputtered, easily pulling out of his fragile grip and wheeling around.

"I would never harm my father!" I exclaimed, flexing my hands as they began to tingle. The mass in my upper arms writhed and shifted in offense. "Meet me out here later tonight if you want to talk – I have to go make sure my dad doesn't see any of this." I gestured at the damaged trees and dug-up soil.

The wolf howl was dangerously close now. Jacob gave a tense nod, though he seemed reluctant to let me leave. I backed away from him until I was a hundred feet away before I turned around and sprinted toward Charlie's footfalls, easily locating his stumbling form as he tried to navigate in the dark.

I slowed my speed to a jog and moved closer. Once he heard me, his flashlight went up, boring into my eyes with a brilliant glare. I raised my arm to block the light, relaxing once the beam fell to my feet.

"Dad," I called. Charlie moved in closer and swooped me up into a hug, letting out a breath I could tell he had been holding.

"Bella," Charlie said in a stern voice as he released me. "What in the _hell_ are you doing out here? Jesus, I thought…" he trailed off, running his hand through his hair.

"Jake saw something in the woods," I blurted out, knowing I had to give some sort of explanation to my father. "He went off after it. I tried to follow, but I got a little turned around." Charlie's face grew concerned, his eyebrows pulling together.

"Why in the world would that kid go off into the woods like that?" He shook his head and tugged me along, heading out of the forest and toward the house.

I grimaced. Now Charlie would want to go searching the woods for Jacob, thinking something terrible had happened to him. Jake was _obviously_ dangerous. I didn't know if he posed a threat to my father, but I didn't think I was going to be able to talk him out of going to look for the wolf boy. My teeth ground in frustration.

The sound of incoming footsteps and crunching soil made me pause abruptly, causing Charlie to glance at me in confusion. A few seconds later, Charlie's ears were able to pick up the sound as well, and he shined his flashlight in the direction the footsteps were coming from.

A shirtless Jacob jogged up to us out of the forest, clad only in a pair of shorts that he hadn't been wearing before. Charlie grunted and shifted his feet, obviously realizing Jacob was dressed down a bit since he had last seen him at the house. He opened his mouth, probably to ask him what in the world he was doing out in the woods without shoes or a shirt on, but I spoke first, trying to divert his attention.

"So, did you find it?" I asked Jacob. He shot me a confused look as I glared at him. "You know…the thing we saw in the woods?" A brief look of comprehension crossed his face before he frowned and shook his head.

"Oh," Jacob coughed. "No. I didn't find it. I just…fell and ripped my clothes. A…friend dropped these shorts off for me." The look on Jakes own face made it obvious he doubted anyone would believe his pathetic story, but he didn't back down from it either.

Charlie gave Jacob a long look before he let out a tired sigh and shook his head.

"I don't even want to know," Charlie turned away from Jake and looked down at me. "You're OK, though, aren't you, Bells?" I nodded quickly, holding my breath. "Alright, then; let's go back in the house. The pizza's probably cold by now."

Charlie mumbled something incoherent about a 'stupid kid' and trudged through the backyard, switching off his flashlight as he pulled open the screen door and left us in the yard. I followed Charlie's example, pointedly ignoring Jacob and his constant stare as I walked into the house.

Billy's eyes widened as he caught sight of his son's shirtless state, and he immediately shifted his gaze to me. His black eyes must have found something damning in my expression, because his jaw set and he gripped the armrests of his wheelchair.

The awkwardness was broken by Charlie, who tossed an old flannel button up shirt to Jacob, who thanked him and quickly pulled it on. The shirt was too small, making Jacob look even more hulked-out, but it was better than nothing and nobody complained.

Jacob and Charlie sat down, each grabbing a slice of pizza. I frowned at the box, internally grimacing at the possibility of having to eat a piece of regular food. Charlie noticed me standing there and offered me a slice, his attention still halfway focused on the sports on the television screen. I waved my hand in refusal.

"No thanks; I'm not that hungry," I said. "I'm actually kind of tired. Probably going to head on up to bed." I nodded my head in the direction of the stairs.

"Alright," Charlie turned to me. "I'll leave you a couple pieces for later if you get hungry." I smiled a hopefully-realistic smile and nodded, turning and practically running up the stairs.

* * *

It was later than I thought it would be when Charlie finally fell asleep. He had stayed up until nearly midnight watching television downstairs before he called it a night and went to bed. Once his breathing evened out, I kicked the covers off and glanced at my alarm clock. 12:43. The petty part of me hoped I had kept Jacob waiting in the woods for me.

I quickly disrobed, tossing the pajamas I had changed into onto my bed. I let my skin reform, molding a hoodie, jeans, and sneakers, before I gently pried my window open. It squeaked as it went up and I froze, listening for Charlie. Luckily, he hadn't woken up, but I would need to grease this window in case I ever had to make another nighttime getaway. It would be useful the next time I had to feed.

I leaped out of the window and landed with a soft thud on the ground, pausing to appreciate the feeling that going without clothing on afforded me. I walked around to the back of the house at a normal pace, not wanting to use my full speed out in the open, even though I knew no one would be able to see me.

It was dark out tonight – much darker than it ever got in Phoenix, though my eyesight wasn't hindered at all. As the damp grass squished under my shoes, I looked up at the starless sky, frowning at the constant cloud cover. It would have been quite a sight, I was sure, to see the stars here.

Once I made it to the tree line, I sped up and started running. Trees – both alive and fallen – passed me by, but I couldn't see any giant wolves roaming the forest. An eerie howl pitched over the sound of rushing air and I instantly corrected my path, heading for the sound. It seemed a bit backward, heading toward the sound of a giant, vicious animal, but I was confident I would be able to take care of myself if this Q and A session should turn violent.

I slowed as I came to a creek – well, it was a little too _big_ to be called a creek, but much too small to be a river. The constant green of the forest seemed to thin around the trickling stream of water here, and the lush shrubbery near the ground faded into rocks and mud from the constant erosion of rain and creek water. It was there that I finally saw them.

Three enormous wolves were perched on the other side of the creek, positioned around a russet-skinned man who, coincidentally, only wore a pair of shorts. As I approached, one of the wolves, a dark, silver-furred beast, snarled at me. The one next to it, a dark brown-colored wolf with a grey patch spattered on its face, growled lowly in concert with the grey wolf.

The russet colored wolf on the other side of the man was obviously Jacob; I remembered the color from earlier tonight – or, well, technically yesterday. He didn't snarl or growl at me, though he did watch me closely with highly intelligent eyes for an animal. I halted at the edge of the creek and looked back at the man, who I assumed was their spokesperson – or was it spokes-wolf?

Suddenly, without my mental consent, a laugh bubbled up out of my throat at the ridiculousness of the situation. I was standing in front of a bunch of people who could transform into gargantuan wolves – most that _were_ wolves right now – who wanted to know what I was. I guess it was hitting me all at once, now, that this was light-years away from anything close to normal.

The growls started again at my ill-timed laughter and I brought myself back under control, clearing my head with a deep breath. I eyed the man again with unease, feeling completely out of my depth.

"I don't exactly know how to start," I said in a raised voice. "I'm Bella Swan, but I guess you already knew that…" I trailed off. The man's muscles twitched minutely and his stance relaxed.

"Yes, we did," he nodded. "I am Sam Uley and this is my pack. You are not human." His sentences were clipped and to the point. I huffed.

"You aren't exactly human, either," I mumbled, eliciting a deeper huff from the Jacob-wolf, who let out a whine before he darted off into the forest. "Where is Jacob going?" I asked, though I got no response.

Jacob came back in less than a minute, this time walking on two legs and dressed in the same shorts he wore a few hours ago. He shot me an unconvincing smile before he looked at Sam, who seemed to glare at him. The awkward staring contest lasted over a minute, ending with a curt nod from Sam and a relieved breath from Jacob. The latter turned to me again.

"We need to know what you are, Bella," Jacob said. "Our tribe has never come across something…some_one_ like you before. We need to know if you're dangerous to the people of Forks."

My lips parted in a partial gape. I wasn't sure how to respond. I _was_ dangerous; I killed people. Jacob's eyes seemed to implore me to tell the truth, but I _knew_ telling him I had to kill to live was a bad idea. I cleared my throat.

"Uh, no offence Jacob, but you go first," I waved my hand in his direction. "What are _you_?" Jacob glanced at Sam again, who nodded.

"We're werewolves," he said, though I couldn't say I was completely shocked. "Certain members of our tribe inherit the ability to phase when our enemies are near."

"Enemies?" I pried, genuinely curious what sort of enemies a group of werewolves could have.

"No," Sam cut off whatever Jacob was about to say and turned to me. "We told you what we were; now it is your turn." I frowned at the phrase.

"I…don't really know," I admitted. "I became this way in Phoenix, apparently."

"Apparently?" Jacob asked. I nodded.

"I lost most of my memories around the time that it happened – other memories, too, but mostly the ones that had to do with the attack," I could tell Jacob was about to ask about that as well, so I continued. "The terrorist attack on the capitol building? You must have heard about it on television." A look of comprehension dawned on both their faces, before it gave way to more confusion.

"A terrorist attack made you…what you are?" Sam questioned. I could hear the disbelief in his voice. I shrugged.

"Like I said, I don't really remember. I don't know _how_ I became this way and I don't know _why_ it gave me these…powers." I cringed at the term 'powers.' That implied I was some sort of super hero, which I definitely wasn't.

"What can you do?" Jacob asked, more life in his voice. "We've seen your…claws, and know you're really strong and can run faster than normal, but…" he let the sentence hang.

Without a word, I began to reform my right arm. The red and black tendrils drooped and hardened as they flattened and tapered at the ends, sharpening my new appendage into an enormous blade that reached the floor, replacing my lower arm entirely. Where my upper arm met my elbow, the opposite end of the blade grew out until it reached above my shoulders. The dark-grey blade shined dully in the dark, catching the eye of everyone before me.

The two wolves immediately snarled and crouched low with their muscles taught, itching for me to make a move against them. Sam and Jacob seemed to shiver and quake in rage, though the look in their eyes was unmistakable – fear. I dropped my head slightly and tilted my awkward blade-arm halfway behind me, though there was no way my body could hide it.

"It's not just claws," I said after it appeared everyone had control of themselves. "My body can…change and shape shift into almost anything I can imagine. Though, as you can see, they tend to be weapons."

"Oh," Jacob choked, unable to say more. He looked at Sam, who was unable to take his eyes off my blade.

"Yeah," I sighed, shifting my weight awkwardly. I pulled my blade back into an arm, wanting them to stop looking at me like I was some sort of monster – which was _exactly_ what I was. Once I had two arms again, I continued. "Like you already know, I'm really strong and I can run pretty fast – though, I've never timed how fast. I heal fast, too." I winced, remembering how I had found out that bit about myself.

"Does Charlie know?" Jacob asked. I shook my head.

"No, and I'd kind of like it to stay that way. You won't tell him, will you?" I questioned.

"No," Jacob replied. "To be honest, Bella, I'm not sure your dad could take it." I nodded in agreement. Charlie liked his life simple, and knowing about me would not be conductive to his lifestyle.

"Jacob says you have no heartbeat," Sam said, his eyes going back and forth between my face and my normal-looking arm. "But you are warm blooded. How is that possible?" I shook my head at his question.

"I have no idea," I sighed, putting my hand against my chest and feeing for the beat that wasn't there. "I think I'm actually missing most of my organs. Most of my insides are that red and black stuff." Sam nodded, accepting my answer.

"And what do you-" Sam cut off, clearing his throat. "How do you…survive?" I took a small step back, both understanding his question, while at the same time wishing I didn't.

"What do you mean?" I asked in a monotone. We both knew what he meant. He took a breath and spoke again.

"What do you eat?"

"Sam," Jacob interrupted. "She had pizza with Charlie, Billy, and me tonight. I mean she…" Jacob frowned, most probably remembering that I _hadn't_ had anything to eat tonight.

"Bella?" Sam asked again, seeming to grow taller as his muscles started to twitch again. I swallowed.

"I don't…I'm not," I took another step back, causing a growl to rumble lowly in the wolves' chests. "I'm not a danger to Forks." At least that much was mostly true. I didn't _want_ to be a danger to Forks. I wouldn't feed here, for sure. Sam raised an arm, silently keeping the wolves rooted to their spot. A lick of fear ran through my body. I didn't know exactly how strong a werewolf was, but it was a possibility that they could seriously hurt me.

"Bella?" Jacob parroted Sam's question. "Tell me you don't…" He didn't say it, but I nodded anyway, ashamed, but unwilling to drop my guard and look away from them.

"I have to feed on people," I whispered.

Abruptly, the silver wolf snarled and leaped at me with startling speed. I only had time to brace myself before I was pinned underneath the massive beast, his jaws snapping at me as I held him up by his chest. I could feel the claws on his front feet digging into my flesh, exposing patches of my cherry-red insides as I concentrated on not accidentally eating the wolf. I could feel my sinew itching to grab and rip and absorb his large body.

"Paul!" Sam's voice called over the snarling. More footfalls came closer and I watched the brown wolf circling us. With moderate strength, I heaved the horse-sized wolf over my head and sent him flying into the collection of trees on my side of the creek.

The sound of branches snapping and a high-pitched yelping came from that direction and I immediately leaped to my feet and put my back away from the wolves, once again shifting my arm into a large blade as I crouched in a fighting position. My blade rested with its tip on the ground behind me, ready to swing and cleave anyone who approached me. The patches of damaged tissue on my chest healed over instantly, weaving the artificial threads of my hoodie back together.

Sam, Jacob, and the other wolf were on my side of the creek now as well, all eyeing me and waiting for me to attack. I hesitated, though; I didn't _want_ to kill them. They seemed absolutely pissed – Paul especially – that I killed people, so there had to be some shred of decency inside them. The silver wolf – Paul – came running back, stopping alongside the brown wolf and snarling loudly at me as he pulled his black lips over his very-white, very-sharp teeth.

"Paul, don't," Sam shouted. The wolf's muscles bunched and he sprang again, ignoring Sam's edict.

I dodged to the side quickly and slammed my fist into the left side of the wolf's face; the satisfying crunch of bones came from underneath his skin and he howled weakly as he once again smashed through the trees. This angered the other wolf, who rushed me as well. I braced my legs and crossed my blade against my chest, catching the wolf's throat with my hand while the edge of my blade dug into the thick flesh of its chest. I flung the wolf in the direction I sent Paul, spewing a trail of blood as he sailed through the air.

Jacob seemed to realize I wasn't actively trying to kill the wolves, and yanked off his shorts, phasing into his russet-colored wolf form nearly instantly. Sam followed suit, erupting into a huge, jet-black wolf – he was even bigger than Jacob's wolf, giving off an almost-palpable aura of power. The two wolves that had attacked me came slowly into my sight again, one barely able to walk while the other's muzzle was puffed up and slightly caved in. They both whimpered as the Sam-wolf growled at them, making them duck their heads and stop next to Jacob.

Jacob and Sam phased back into human form in front of me, forgoing decency. It was then that I noticed the bundle of cloth wrapped around each of their ankles, which they bent down and unwrapped, revealing the shorts they had taken off. I hummed at their ingenuity; they had thought up a way around the nakedness problem, so long as they didn't suddenly transform while still wearing their shorts.

"Sam," Jacob said after they were dressed, bravely taking his eyes off me. Sam shook his head but kept his gaze locked on me.

"We don't have a choice," Sam said gravely. "She's no better than a human drinker and she's obviously a threat to our tribe and to Forks." The wolves seemed to snarl in agreement, chomping at the bit to move closer and take a snap at me even though they were in absolutely no condition to do so. Their conversation was lost on me; I wasn't sure what 'human drinker' meant, but I wasn't about to let my guard down to ask.

I wanted to fight – the potential thrill of smashing bones and cutting their flesh apart was a heavy draw. I wouldn't instigate the attack, but I also wouldn't lie down if they tried to kill me. They were faster than I was, too; I had seen the way Paul had lunged at me and I remembered how quickly Jacob had caught me earlier tonight. This wasn't a fight or flight situation; it was fight or _die_.

Resolute in my decision, I stilled my body and waited to react to whatever may come.

"The Cullens don't feed on humans!" Jacob argued, drawing my attention absolutely. The Cullens? "What if she could do the same? She could feed on animals!"

"We cannot take that chance, Jacob," Sam spoke with authority, chancing a glance at his broken wolves. The one with the sliced flesh seemed to be recovering faster than the one with the crushed face, though the former was still whimpering and its coat was spattered in blood. "She admitted she kills to live, and that is something I cannot allow to happen, no matter how much you care for her."

I wasn't sure what shocked me more; the fact that Jacob, the boy I barely knew, was fighting for me, or the insinuation that the Cullens weren't human. I had sensed there was something…predatory about their family, but my suspicions seemed all-but-confirmed now. I wasn't sure what they meant by eating animals, either. Charlie ate animals all the time – bacon was one of his vices, actually.

The thought of feeding on animals had never actually crossed my mind. In the beginning, once I knew there was something seriously _wrong_ with me, I had tried to eat regular food. Chips, granola bars, and even hamburgers all came back up after I ingested them. And then I had accidentally consumed that poor man. The thought – the idea – of killing and absorbing a living, breathing animal had never come up.

But that's what they were talking about. I hadn't described _how_ I fed, but somehow these wolves knew it was violent. They knew because they knew the Cullens did something similar with animals, although I had no idea _what_ the Cullens were. They weren't…whatever I was, that was for sure; I would have been able to tell.

It was at that moment when the realization of what Jacob had said hit me completely. Could I live off of animals? Would I be able to go without killing people anymore? Joy and relief flooded my body at the _possibility_ of it, and I knew I had to find out if it would work.

"I'll try," I said with less venom than I would have imagined, relaxing up into a half-crouch. Both Sam and Jacob turned to me. "I don't know if it will work, but I'll try to…eat an animal." I wrinkled my nose at the concept, though I had never even tried it. Sam gave me a long look and nodded before he spoke.

"Jacob and I will follow you," he said in the same voice he used with the wolves. "If you are not able to feed off of an animal or if you refuse, we will destroy you immediately." He gave Jacob an equally hard look before pointing his glare at me. I shook my head at him and snorted, shifting my arm-blade in front of me and drawing their attention to it.

"No," I said in a cold voice. "I don't believe you will. I think we both know who would win in a fight, Sam. I don't want to hurt you – I don't want to hurt anyone, which is why I will try to feed of an animal – but don't think you can beat me, because it's obvious you can't." I looked pointedly at the rapidly recovering wolves, which bristled as I looked at them.

To his credit, Sam did not back down. He held his tongue, though, and both he and Jacob went behind a tree to shift, quickly coming back over to us as wolves. Sam looked at Paul and the unnamed wolf for a moment, and they both nodded, relaxing further on the wet ground. He looked back at me and lifted his head quickly while huffing out a breath, silently telling me to go ahead of them.

I turned around with difficulty and started running through the woods, keeping my blade behind me as I went, to keep it from slicing through the trees as we blurred past them. I could hear the two wolves behind me, their panting and heavy footfalls easy to distinguish, even as the wind rushed past loudly. I opened my senses, allowing my eyes to sharpen and scan for any sign of life.

It was an unnatural feeling, being on the hunt for food when I wasn't already starving. I began to ponder how weak practically starving myself made me, when I caught sight of a deer a little over a mile ahead. It was resting in a small clearing with another deer, oblivious to our approach. I inched into a dead sprint, my feet pounding against the soft ground with a frantic pace, though I couldn't seem to outrun the wolves behind me.

The doe startled at my approach once I was near enough for it to hear me, and it quickly leaped to its feet and made a break for the opposite side of the small clearing. But it wasn't fast enough.

I barreled into the animal, impaling it with my blade and nearly severing it into two pieces almost immediately. Hot blood splashed my face from the wet impact, sending the mutilated animal tumbling to the ground with me on top of it.

My blade quickly dug in, much to my relief, allowing my body to start to break down the warm flesh of the deer. I dug my left hand into its neck, allowing for more contact and speeding up the process. I cringed at the slurping and sucking sounds the collapsing tissues of the deer made as they were converted, but held fast as the process finally completed.

I stood up and looked at what was left of the animal. There were more chunks of meat and pieces of bone than there would be if I had fed on a person, and the tufts of fur were quite macabre as they blended into the red carnage, but I felt good. There was no rejection – no squirming or shifting pieces inside me. I smiled and turned, allowing my hands to reform as I looked at the wolves, who watched with their lips pulled back over their teeth in a wolf-like grimace.

I nodded to them, letting them know it worked. Sam nodded back and flashed into the dense forest, once again returning as a bare-chested man.

"We still have much to discuss with you," Sam said, and the relief that was plainly visible on his face – though mixed with disgust – made me want to grin like a fool.

* * *

**End notes:** So, this chapter turned out to be _much_ longer than I had expected it to. I didn't want the encounter with the wolves to linger for another chapter, so I sort of crammed it all into this one. Hope you don't mind.

And yes, Bella is immune to mental powers. Thanks for the reviews; they are much appreciated.


	6. When Opportunity Knocks

**Beginning notes:** If you read the last chapter a day or so after it was published, you may want to go and re-read it before starting on this chapter. I've changed some things that I agreed with what some of the reviews were criticizing, so go have a look.

* * *

_{_

_I wasn't really able to function for a few days. The school understood and had gotten a substitute teacher for a couple weeks, but I honestly didn't know how I was going to go back as the same person – be my happy self for all those kids._

_There wasn't a body recovered; the police couldn't find my daughter. At first I had been partially relieved. Surely if her body wasn't in that library, she was alright! It was a coping mechanism; that's what the shrink I had just started going to called it. I had ignored the fact she wasn't here – she never came home – and only focused on _not_ recovering her body._

_I spent hours in her room just breathing in her dissipating scent. That was where I was now, sitting on the floor with my back against her bed. I wasn't crying anymore – that didn't make me feel any better; it only made me angry. Nobody had claimed the attack as their own and there were no suspects, as far as I knew._

_My cell phone rang and I pulled the device out of my pocket. _Phil_'s name displayed on the screen, but I couldn't make myself answer it – even for him. After a few moments the ringing ended and my phone vibrated, telling me I had a new voicemail. I powered the phone off and tossed it beside me on the floor._

_}_

**-Chapter 6: When Opportunity Knocks-**

The base ripped out of the drywall cleanly, but that was the only thing fortunate about the situation. My teeth grinded together as I dropped the crushed pieces of plastic that used to be a phone to the floor. I ran my hands through my hair in an effort not to grab anything else in frustration and undoubtedly break it as well.

The cord that attached the base to the phone was stripped in some places, and I had no doubt it wouldn't work anymore. I bent down and collected the plastic shards once I was in control of myself and dumped them in the trash. I would have to buy a new one for Charlie and tell him I fell against it or something in a characteristically klutzy moment if he noticed the new phone. Funds were running a little low, though, which meant I would need to get a job if I continued to break things. I trudged up the stairs to get ready for school, contemplating if all this drama was worth living with my dad.

Jacob and Sam had left to go speak with the elders of their tribe on how to 'deal' with me, and Sam had called this morning to 'request my presence' at a meeting tonight. He told me to meet him at the creek behind my house again, since the elders didn't want something as _dangerous_ as I was to be on their land.

I wasn't sure what had set me off, exactly. Maybe it was his tone – the 'my way or the highway' mentality that seemed to transfer straight through the phone line and made the hair on my neck bristle. The mistrust was nearly palpable, even over the phone, and the audacity of asking me to submit to them like they were my kings had made me want to smash things to pieces.

Which is, unfortunately, what ended up happening.

I took my backpack downstairs and zipped my hoodie up, stepping out the front door and into the perpetually dim light of Forks. I slung my bag into the cab and climbed in, starting my truck with a satisfying roar and backing out of the driveway.

Pulling into the student parking lot and seeing the kids hanging out in front of their cars made me realize it was only Tuesday – it was only my second day at school. It felt so much longer to me, with the revelation of werewolves and the attack of said wolves; it felt like time slowed down even more than it seemed to during the school week.

The Cullens' cars were parked in the same spot they were in yesterday, with the four of them standing in front of their vehicles, talking in a tight circle. Angela was tucked under Edward's arm, almost completely hidden from my view; which was quite the feat, considering she was nearly as tall as he was. I took in their strange features again as I slammed my door shut and adjusted my bag's strap on my shoulder.

I started to walk across the parking lot and toward the school as I thought about the strange, pale-skinned family. I pictured Emmett tackling a deer like I had done, his hands morphing into blunt clubs rather than blades, pounding and crushing the dead animal beneath him. Alice would have claws; she would slice and carve the flesh, rather than pummel it.

I wondered if the Cullens knew that there were werewolves nearby. Jake and Sam had known about the Cullens – they had known the Cullens fed from animals, whatever they were. The whole thing felt a bit like a puzzle with missing pieces, but I couldn't help but try to put it together anyway.

Feather-light footsteps sounded on the pavement behind me, moving more rapidly than the other student's steps. I slowed to a stop next to the edge of the lot and turned around, my eyes widening as I came face to face with Alice Cullen, who had an expression of nervousness or uncertainty written across her face.

I frowned at her, unable to think of a reason for the beautiful girl to come and talk to me. Her body seemed to freeze as she looked at me, her expression melting off her face slowly and her eyes lost their focus, looking through me. I opened my mouth to ask her if she was OK, when I was assaulted with a sweet scent that seemed to radiate off Alice's small body. It was heady and inviting, though I couldn't place the fragrance.

"Hi," she grinned, suddenly breaking out of whatever had her so dazed. "I'm Alice." I huffed out a laugh as I realized we had never actually been introduced. I had only learned her name and about her family through Jessica.

"Bella," I replied, returning a smile of my own.

Her eyes were a bright golden color with a thin, solid black ring around the starburst iris. The hues seemed to almost shift and churn, ranging from a dark brown at the darkest to a bright yellow at the lightest. They were an odd – but striking – color, brought out even more by the pure-white sclera of each eye that were completely unmarred, not a trace of any blood vessels running across the surface.

"Carlisle wanted us to invite you to our house after school today," she chirped. "You can follow us there in your truck," she frowned and back peddled. "I mean, if you'd like to come over, that is." She looked up at me with wide eyes that almost seemed…afraid? No, that wasn't quite right.

"Carlisle?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow. She rolled her eyes.

"He's our adopted father," Alice explained. I could hear the quotation marks around the phrase, though I wasn't sure what she was implying. "Didn't Jessica tell you all this already?"

My head cocked at her question, causing a tendril of hair to fall into my face. I tucked it back behind my ear as I recalled Jessica's resentful description of the Cullen family she had given me yesterday, snorting a sharp burst of air out of my nose.

"To be honest, I wasn't sure if I could believe half of what she told me," I explained. "And she only said you were adopted by 'Dr. and Mrs. Cullen.'"

"Yes; Carlisle's a doctor at the hospital," Alice smiled and nodded. "So? Are you going to come over or not?"

I looked up and over to the other Cullens, who were strangely watching our conversation from the same spot they were in when I pulled into the parking lot. The way they were staring was unnerving, and I looked back at Alice, who was starting to look more anxious. Her eyebrows had mashed together, a crease of wrinkles forming between them as she waited for my answer.

"OK," I found myself saying, instantly bringing the tiny girl's smile back to her face and smoothing out her worried expression. A low snarl ghosted from across the parking lot, drawing my attention to the other Cullens again. Rosalie's face held unrestrained contempt, forcing my eyebrows up in surprise. Did they…could she have heard us talking from over there?

"Great!" Alice exclaimed, startling me with her enthusiasm. "You can sit with us at lunch; I'll introduce you to everyone." I bobbed my head up and down like an idiot, feeling a bit overwhelmed. A part of me was hesitant to accept the invitation to sit with the Cullens, but the other, more dominant part, was just happy to be away from Jessica. The chatterbox was useful for information, but I could tell she wouldn't be much of a friend.

Alice grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the school. I stumbled at the sudden contact, gasping at the sensation running up my arm. Her tiny hand was cold and hard, with a smooth, sturdy grip. The vast difference in temperature was beyond obvious, but her stone-like flesh wasn't what caused me to pause. It was the prickling, electric-charge coming off of Alice.

I slid my hand out of hers and looked at her face out of the corner of my eye. Her eyebrows were scrunched up again, but she didn't seem offended by me pulling my hand back. Had she felt it, too? I opened my mouth to ask her, when the warning bell sounded, prompting the two of us to go to our respective classes for first period.

* * *

Mr. Varner gave us a pop quiz in Calculus, which had the entire class groaning. Luckily, I had done my homework and understood most of the material, but obviously a great many of the class hadn't, if the muttered curses and sound of frantic erasers scrubbing on paper were anything to go by. I was one of the first ones finished, actually, and deposited the paper on the desk at the front before I went back to my desk and opened up _Frankenstein_, intending to ride out the rest of the hour with a good book.

I lost track of the time as I continued to read, though I was occasionally distracted by whispers between students, more and more so as the majority of the class finished the quiz. The most distracting were Edward and Angela, though I wasn't sure if it was because they drew the most attention or because I was so interested in the Cullen family. I didn't overhear much – most of their conversation took place through notes – but I did overhear a few words.

"Bella" and "dangerous" were two that I heard from Edward, though Angela seemed to disagree with a vehement shake of her head. She looked over her shoulder at me and I averted my eyes out of instinct, not wanting to be caught eavesdropping on their conversation. I propped my head up on my elbow, trying to block my view of them as I started reading again.

Eventually, the classroom had reached a constant hum of sound as everyone talked softly to the others around them. I didn't mind; the white noise was actually soothing, in a way. It drowned out the sharp sounds my sensitive hearing always picked up on.

After I re-read the same line three times, I realized I wasn't paying full attention to what was going on in the book. My mind was somewhere else, entirely: Alice and her invitation. The whole thing seemed a bit strange; not to mention sudden, as I had only been here for not even two days. My metaphoric stomach dropped as I considered a possibility.

Had the Cullens realized I wasn't human, as Jacob had?

I had thought I fit in with normal people; I looked much the same as I always had, save the microscopic differences in the appearance of my skin. I hadn't asked Jacob how he knew something was wrong with me, but it was obvious I wasn't as good at blending in as I thought I had been. It wasn't the non-existent heartbeat; Jacob had known something was wrong before that. He had asked me if I was sick.

I sighed onto the surface of my arm as I pondered my subconscious superiority complex. I knew from the first day that the Cullens were something other than normal – than human – so it wasn't such a stretch of the imagination to consider they had realized the same of me. It would explain Edward's strange behavior yesterday – that murderous look in his eye.

My teeth clenched and started to grind at the thought of another inquisition. If the Cullens knew I wasn't human, would they be as blunt as Jacob had been? Would they try to restrict me as the wolves had done? I wondered how strong they were – if they were physically strong at all – and how likely they were to attack me. I moved my arm and peered at Edward and Angela, who had their heads tilted together, speaking softly.

Did Angela know? Was Angela something else as well? She wasn't like me and she wasn't like the Cullens, but then again there were probably other things out in the world other than the strange creatures I had met here in Forks. I smiled at my desk at the idea of legends-come-to-life, running my fingers over the cover of my book. Had there been a Dr. Frankenstein as well?

The vibrating sound of plastic on wood made me turn my head to look at Jessica, who picked up her cell phone and started typing on the keypad. I groaned and let my head hit the top of my desk at the reminder. I had completely forgotten about replacing the home phone before I agreed to go over to the Cullens' house.

I turned my head to the side and rested my heated cheek against the cool surface, allowing me to see the sideways figures of Angela and Edward looking at me like I was some sort of idiot. I snorted and pulled my head up, leaning back in my seat and turning away from them.

The bell rang and I pulled my backpack on and strode out of the classroom along with the herd of students. Some of them were almost power-walking down the hallway to get to the cafeteria, dodging around the slower moving students and causing me to snicker. I opened my locker and stuffed my backpack inside, slamming it shut and following the thinning lunch crowd to the cafeteria.

I eyed the growing lunch line with disdain as I stood at the back wall of the cafeteria. Most of the Cullens were already through the line and sitting at the same table they were at yesterday. I watched Edward and Angela paying for their trays at the cash register and shook my head.

It wasn't worth wasting both my time and money getting lunch today – a lunch that, even if I were to eat it, would offer me no sustenance – so I decided to simply head over to the Cullen table, where Alice was already seated next to Emmett and Rosalie, waving me over as I met her gaze. I nodded back and walked through the clusters of tables crammed with feasting students.

I tried not to let my unease get the best of me as I sat down at the absolutely silent lunch table. Alice, Angela, and Emmett had the _least_ hostile expressions on their faces. Alice gave me a nervous smile, while Angela just looked nervous; Emmett had curiosity written across his face, and he wasn't shy about openly staring at me. Edward and Rosalie were both glaring at me, though Edward's look seemed less malicious.

I sank into my seat next to Alice with a frail sense of security – surely nothing _so_ bad would occur here, in the open and populated cafeteria. I held no illusions at this point; I knew from the looks on their smooth faces that they had invited me over because they knew I was different. I would tell them what I had told the wolves if they asked, but I wouldn't be chased out of my own home – I wouldn't be banned like the Quileute tribe tried to do to me.

"Hi, Bella," Alice greeted. I smiled and nodded to her, still feeling a bit tense. "So, these are Rosalie, Emmett, Angela, and Edward" she pointed to each as she went around the table. "Everyone, this is Bella." Nobody said anything in response; they only looked more pointedly in my direction, which was both incredibly awkward and strangely funny. My lips pursed as I fought to keep my internal laughter to myself.

"Aren't you going to get anything to eat?" Emmett was the first, beside Alice, to speak to me. I glanced down at the spot on the table where my tray would have been and shook my head, looking back up at the giant.

"I had a big breakfast," I lied, though his question drew my attention to his – and the rest of the Cullens' – untouched trays of food, some of which I could see were beginning to cool. "What about you?" I nodded at his own tray, causing him to look down at his food with completely undisguised disgust. He shook his head as well.

"Uh, no," Emmett said. "We had a big breakfast as well." I nodded, but didn't really buy it. The wolves had said they – whatever they were – had a diet similar to mine. So, did that also mean they were unable to eat regular food? Alice must have seen the inquisitive look on my face and decided to change the subject.

"Oh," I turned to Alice before she could speak. "I won't be able to make it to your house today. I have to go to Port Angeles to get a new phone for the house." Alice visibly deflated for a moment before recovering and opening her mouth to speak.

Edward hissed – actually hissed, like a snake or a cat – and the molten gold of his irises was eclipsed by a liquid black, returning is eye-color to the familiar obsidian. I both felt and saw the skin on my hands subtly shifting from the perceived threat and I tensed in my seat, eyeing Edward like a hawk. A low, rumbling growl came from Alice's chest in response to Edward's inhuman hiss, and I felt my body hunch over in my seat as I ducked my head, preparing for an attack.

"Guys," Emmett warned softly, looking from Alice to Edward and back to me. "Chill out. People are starting to stare." I shifted minutely into a more relaxed position and eyed the crowd, seeing more than a couple curious teenagers looking over at our table. Alice stopped growling and gave Edward a stern look, which he shook his head at but didn't comment on, before she turned back to me.

"I would like to offer you a ride to Port Angeles so that you could come over afterward, if you're up to it. We could get there a _lot_ faster in my car than if you were to take your truck. No offence, Bella," she shrugged her shoulders at me. I frowned at her comment.

"Hey, my truck isn't _that_ slow," I mumbled. Alice gave me a knowing look.

"I doubt that heap could make it up to fifty-five," Rosalie huffed out a sarcastic laugh.

I gritted my teeth at the comment, but it had merit. And I doubted Alice, alone, could be much of a threat if she were to attack me outside of school. Besides that, getting the new phone as fast as possible was beneficial to me; I wouldn't have to answer as many questions if a new phone was already installed by the time Charlie got home – something that would never happen if I had to travel under sixty to avoid my truck dying.

"Fine," I conceded to Alice. "I'll take you up on your offer." Alice grinned and Edward started to growl like Alice had earlier, startling Angela, who gave him a worried look.

"Oh, shut up, Edward. Bella's not going to hurt me," she turned to me. "I'll pick you up at your house after school, OK?"

I sighed and nodded, pushing out of my seat as the bell sounded, announcing the end of the lunch period. I waved goodbye to the Cullens and stalked off toward my locker to get my history book. I considered how much I was letting the Cullens get away with, as they had basically dictated the time and spot to have the discussion I knew was coming, much like Jacob had.

There was a difference though, that worked in my favor. I would be alone with Alice for almost three hours, free to ask my own questions about what she – and the rest of her family – was. And, if she gave me the same treatment the wolves had, I simply wouldn't go over to their house. I nodded to myself in acceptance of my plan, confident I would be the one with the upper hand this time.

* * *

**End notes: **Quite a few reviewers have complained about Bella telling the wolves too much in the last chapter and generally letting them get away with far too much. I'll see if I can defend my writing a bit.

Bella isn't Mercer in the same way Heller wasn't. She isn't a terrorist and she wasn't out for revenge when she became 'infected.' She's very much the same person she was before, and in fact I am basing her personality on the Bella Swan from the books. What she did with the wolves was trade information (albeit she didn't get much from the wolves).

No, she's not going to be as frail and as much of a pushover as she was in the books; turning into a monster and killing people changes you, I would imagine. But neither is she going to be completely evil, relishing in murdering people and not caring at all. My apologies if you expected an antisocial Bella Swan, but I'll do my best to add in some extra servings of violence.

That being said, I did do a rewrite of the last chapter to add some more violence and make Bella less of a 'pushover.'

No, that's not Bella at the beginning of each chapter. It should be fairly obvious, now, who it is. But if it's not, it'll get way more obvious later on.

_razberry1_: It's actually not a cop out in allowing Bella the option of feeding off of animals. That's straight up canon from _[Prototype]_, not to mention in-line with Bella's personality and a logical leap the wolves would have taken upon encountering a creature vaguely similar to a vampire.


	7. How Much Have You Noticed?

_{_

_I dialed Phil's number again as I peered out of the cracked window shade, but the call went to voicemail like it had the past several tries. The sun was shining brightly outside and the sky was a deep, beautiful blue; but that was nothing but deception._

_I had watched the national guard and the army and the men dressed in combat uniforms. A couple of them patrolled down the sidewalk every hour or so. I was lucky – or perhaps not – that the public schools near the downtown area were closed; I wouldn't have to call in sick again._

_The whole city was in a state of panic now, though my daughter's death had all but numbed me to the sensation. People were still catching whatever sickness was unleashed at the capitol, and the symptoms were quite grotesque._

_It was all over the news at all times of the day. A talk show would be discussing it – the host always brought a medical expert to explain how they thought it was transmitted and how to prevent yourself from catching it. News anchors would show the walking, lumbering corpses that used to be human beings as they stumbled toward the camera and were systematically blown away with machine guns._

_I froze in place as I heard the rattling of the doorknob in the kitchen._

_}_

**-Chapter 7: How Much Have You Noticed?-**

I had just enough time after I got home from school to write Charlie a note in case he happened to arrive home before me and found me gone and the phone ripped from the wall. I collected my small stack of cash and put it in my jeans pocket after I finished writing the note. It wasn't much money, really; only about $100. The grocery money jar caught my eye and I hesitantly pulled out another hundred from the collection in case the phone was more than I had.

The sound of a snarling engine came up my street and I ducked out of the kitchen, opening the front door and waiting for what I assumed would be my ride to Port Angeles. My eyes popped in their sockets as Alice's car skidded to a halt in front of my driveway. I hadn't even seen the driver since the windows were heavily tinted, but the owner of _this_ car was obvious.

It was an obnoxious yellow color that absolutely _demanded_ attention. The brilliant hue contrasted heavily with the washed out, perpetually grey skies and saturated green forest of Forks. It was sleek, too; built for speed. A _Porsche_, the small logo signified. I was sure I would be smiling at the machine if my mouth hadn't been hanging open.

"Hi, Bella!" Alice chirped as the driver door opened and she climbed out of the driver's seat to wave. "Are you ready to go?"

"Uh…oh, yeah," I nodded and moved toward the car in a daze. Alice danced around the Porsche and opened my door for me. "Thanks," I said as I slid into the dim interior, my weight making the leather seats 'whoosh' as the air was forced out.

Alice closed her door as she slid into the driver's seat, jerking the car into drive and peeling away from my house with a burst of speed. She sped about ten miles over the speed limit while we maneuvered through town, opening up the throttle and letting loose as we reached the highway. I couldn't help but grin as we passed cars that were going the speed limit like they were barely moving at all.

I glanced over at Alice, who looked completely out of place behind the wheel of a car – her stature was similar to a 7th or 8th grader's and if she was any shorter she would have needed a booster seat to see over the dash. She looked like she knew what she was doing, though, and wore a small grin that was the companion to mine.

"So," Alice said, breaking the silence after the thrill of the speed we were traveling wore off. "What kind of phone are you getting, if you don't mind me asking?" I turned away from the window I had been staring through and looked at her. Her head was turned toward me and my eyes widened marginally at the perceived danger of Alice not keeping her eyes on the road while traveling at what was clearly over one hundred miles per hour.

"Just a plain corded phone for the house," I answered, staring out the windshield with a fixed gaze as if I could make up for Alice's lack of concentration. The car held steady, though, even though she continued to look at me; I relaxed my bunched muscles as I realized we weren't going to crash.

"Is something wrong, Bella?" Alice asked, drawing my attention to her again. Her eyebrows pulled together again in confusion as if she didn't realize driving without watching the road generally made people nervous. I shook my head at how absurd I was being – even if she _did_ crash, it would barely hurt me at all. It certainly wouldn't kill or seriously injure me, though I had no idea if the same held true for Alice.

"No," I answered. "Apparently not." Alice sighed.

"Are you going to ask, or not?" Alice questioned, causing me to freeze as I stared at her. She swore lowly under her breath and gripped the steering wheel tighter, the leather squeaking in protest. "I _hate_ not being able to see anything." She let out a breath and consciously relaxed herself, giving me a reassuring smile. "Sorry, it's just with Edward and Rosalie not trusting you and you _obviously_ noticing there's something different about us…it seems quite pointless for both of us to beat around the bush."

I let out a strangled laugh at her up-front manner, though I didn't understand her comment about not being able to see. I understood her frustration all too well, though, and I couldn't help but compare Alice to the wolves. Both Jacob and Alice were…forceful, for lack of a better term, but where Jacob made me feel like an enemy right from the start, Alice seemed…I wasn't quite sure what the right word was. She felt safer, if that made any sense at all.

"Why did you invite me over to your house?" I asked. Alice gave me a look.

"Seriously, Bella?" I could almost hear the eye-roll in her voice. "If you don't want to go first, that's fine, but we both know why Carlisle wanted to talk to you." I nodded, but I couldn't shake the hesitance that had settled over me ever since the wolves had confronted me. But _me_ asking _her_ questions couldn't be so bad, right? This was what I came here to do, after all – well, in addition to picking up a new phone.

"What are you?" I asked simply. Alice seemed to consider what to say for a moment, though she didn't seem surprised or angered by my question.

"How much have you noticed?" Alice glanced at me before returning her gaze to the road ahead of us. I knew she didn't _really_ need to focus all her attention on it, if her stunt before was anything to go by, so I assumed she was trying to give me as much space as she could while we were both in the car.

"You all have strange skin," I answered. "That was the first thing I noticed. It's not like regular people's skin – there're no pores or imperfections in it. You also seem to…glow or shimmer, though it's not happening much right now." I paused, recalling memories of the Cullens standing around in the parking lot. "You make the strangest sounds – hisses and…snarls; it's like something a wild animal would sound like.

"And then…well, I didn't really _notice_ this, per say," I disclaimed. "But the wolves mentioned you and your diet of animals instead of humans – it was a pretty big spoiler that you and your family weren't exactly human." Alice's head snapped around, her eyes bugged out of her head and her mouth parted in shock.

"Wolves?" Alice asked, her face of shock melting into one of anger. I nodded.

"Yeah," I answered. "You _do_ know about them, right? I just assumed you did, since they seemed to know so much about you – though they didn't tell me anything," I pointed out quickly. "I just overheard what they were saying to each other."

"When did this happen?" Alice asked through her teeth.

"Yesterday," I replied. "Or, well…this morning, actually." I shook my head. "I keep forgetting it's only Tuesday," I muttered to myself and turned back to Alice. "One of them found out I was different and _confronted_ me about it with a few of his pack members. It didn't go all that well, I'm afraid." Alice hissed.

"They _attacked_ you?" Alice demanded more than asked. I raised my hands up in defense.

"Hey, I'm completely fine. I doubt their whole pack could take me, honestly," I assured her. "And we'll talk about _that_ later. That's all I know about you; I would appreciate some straight answers now." Alice took a breath and unclenched her hands from the steering wheel, revealing twin handprint-indents that wrapped around the wheel. "What are you, Alice?"

"I'm a vampire," Alice said simply, returning her focus completely to the road. There wasn't much buildup and it wasn't climactic; I didn't get hit with a wave of disbelief.

"Hmm," I hummed as I considered her answer.

I had considered gods, aliens, and mutants – I had even compared them to golems after I saw their strange skin. Vampires had never come up, but after hearing Alice admit what she was, it seemed to fit. The wolves had said they fed on animals instead of humans – I had assumed they actually _ate_ their prey, but sucking their blood fit too. The whole of it resonated in my mind like the beginning of a bad joke.

_So, an infected freak moves to a town infested with werewolves and vampires…_

It was no wonder Jacob and the rest of the wolves hated the Cullens. Wasn't it one of those 'arch-enemies' things? I vaguely remembered the legends of Van Helsing with the werewolves and Dracula against each other. This line of thinking opened other questions: were other myths real, too?

"Bella, are you alright?" Alice asked. I realized I had been staring at the dash for several minutes and turned to look at her, wincing at the surprisingly vulnerable look on her face.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I answered, sitting up straighter in my seat. "I'm just sort of…processing. Is it alright if I ask some questions?" Alice nodded, appearing relieved.

"Yes, of course you can."

"How are you out in the daytime?" I asked the question that came to me first, remembering that her whole family had been out and about today and yesterday. "Don't you burn in the sun?" A peal of musical laughter escaped her mouth, morphing into a grin as I looked at her in confusion.

"No," Alice answered. "That's just a myth. The sun doesn't hurt us, but we can't be out in public when it's sunny. I'll have to show you some time; it's more of a 'see it to believe it' thing." I nodded.

"So, what else is just a myth with vampires?" I asked as we reached the city limits of Port Angeles. Alice tapped her fingers on the damaged steering wheel.

"Well, we aren't repelled by holy objects," Alice huffed a short laugh. "Crosses and holy water don't do anything to us. Garlic smells disgusting, but it doesn't affect us either."

"Stake through the heart?" I shot out. Alice shook her head.

"No. Our skin is extremely hard, like stone, but even if you were able to stake us through the heart, we wouldn't die. We also don't need an invitation to enter a home and we can't turn into bats – I think that was the one thing about being a vampire Emmett was disappointed in," Alice smiled to herself. I laughed at the startlingly-real mental image of the muscle-bound man trying to transform into a bat.

"We're strong and fast," Alice continued. "And we _do_ have to drink blood to survive, though my family is different from other vampires. We only drink animal blood, like those mutts told you. It's not as satisfying as human blood, but it allows us to keep a bit of our humanity that we lost during our transformation."

Our conversation was cut off as Alice pulled into the all-too-familiar parking lot of Walmart. The tiny vampire opted to park her vehicle at the back of the lot. I followed behind her as we strolled past the older, rundown cars, and toward the sliding glass doors at the front of the store.

* * *

Alice should never be allowed in a store.

We were nearly to Forks, though we should have been back almost forty-five minutes ago. Finding a suitable replacement phone was simple enough; the entire process of locating one what was within my budget only took five minutes. The trip to the front of the store, though, was more difficult and took several times longer.

Alice didn't like any of the clothes Walmart sold, but she dragged me to the clothing section anyway. After that, she had to inspect the meager shoe section and the arts and crafts aisle. Thankfully, she was a vampire, so she skipped the half of the supermarket composed of food, but she certainly picked her way through anything that interested her. Had I been normal, I was sure I would have been exhausted from all the speed-walking.

"Great," I groaned as we pulled up to my house. Charlie's cruiser was in the driveway. "I think we'll have to reschedule the meeting with your family." Alice nodded and looked at her phone right as it vibrated, letting out a groan of her own. The phone calls and texts from her family had started about two hours into our trip; Alice would text back quick messages, but I could tell she probably needed to talk with them.

"Alright," Alice sighed. "Esme is going to be disappointed, though; she was looking forward to meeting you – Carlisle as well." I shrugged, opening the passenger door and stepping out. The living room curtain parted, revealing Charlie's inquisitive face.

"Another time," I offered and Alice nodded, typing with superhuman dexterity and speed on her phone. "Thanks for the ride, Alice." I waved as I shut the car door and walked to the front of the house.

"I got your note," Charlie greeted me as I walked in the house. "How did you manage to rip the phone out of the wall, Bells?" Charlie tried to keep a straight face, but I could clearly see his lip quivering in withheld humor. I huffed in response, relieved that he wasn't angry at me.

"It was just a klutzy accident, dad," I said as I took the new phone out of the plastic bag, placing it on the kitchen counter. "I'm just lucky I didn't break something more expensive." Charlie chuckled and shook his head, examining the picture of the phone on the cardboard box.

"I'll set this up," Charlie nodded to himself and turned to me. "You go ahead and get yourself something to eat; I ate while you were gone." I shook my head.

"No, that's OK. Alice and I ate in Port Angeles," I lied. Charlie hummed and rubbed his face.

"Alice?" he prodded.

"Alice Cullen; I met her at school," I explained. "She offered me a ride."

"Well that explains the car," Charlie mumbled to himself. "I'm glad you're making some friends already, Bella." I smiled in agreement.

"Well, I'm sort of tired," I lied again. "I think I'm going to head to bed early tonight."

"Alright, Bells," Charlie said. "Goodnight."

"Night," I called as I ascended the stairs and entered my bedroom, closing the door behind me.

I switched on my computer and started to sort through my closet while I waited for the ancient machine to boot up. I picked my outfit for tomorrow and put it on the top of my dresser, turning back to the illuminated computer screen and groaning. The damn thing was so _slow_; the desktop icons were popping up one at a time in five second intervals as the hard drive disk spun like a ceiling fan inside the computer tower.

Yet another reason why I needed to find a job – I needed to buy a halfway-decent computer. I sat down in my chair and started Internet Explorer, forcing myself not to bang my head on the keyboard as the dreadful program crept to life on the screen. I considered installing Chrome or Firefox, but I wasn't sure what one of those would do to the computer if I installed one.

Deciding not to risk overloading the computer's small memory, I moved my curser to the search bar and entered in 'vampires.' Several familiar websites popped up: Wikipedia articles, Amazon books relating to vampires, and a preview for the images section of 'vampires,' which had multiple movie and TV posters visible. I sighed and scrolled down, unsurprised but still disappointed that it wasn't as easy as typing the word into Google.

After over an hour of surfing the web, I knew the plot synopsis' of several vampire books, had perused discussion boards about people who called themselves vampires, and watched several short clips on the 'mythology of vampires' on YouTube. My hand went to close out of the tab I had finished when I heard a faint growl and a responding hiss somewhere outside the house.

I closed out of the browser and darted to the window, pulling it up with a familiar squeak and looking outside. Halfway between the tree line and my window was Alice, crouched down and baring her teeth at the woods. I shifted my gaze at the cluster of trees and my eyes widened as I clearly saw the russet fur of Jacob's wolf. Alice and Jacob both shifted their heads to see me, but kept their eyes locked on the other.

I froze in place and listened, breathing out a sigh when I heard Charlie's deep breathing – he must have gone to bed while I was absorbed in my vampire research. I gripped the window edge and propelled myself out, landing on the balls of my feet and darting over to Alice's side.

"What are you doing here?" I growled at Jacob, who took a step back but didn't look away from us.

"The dog was here when I arrived," Alice sneered. "He was watching your house, Bella." I clenched my hands in anger.

"Why?" I demanded, taking a step forward and causing Jacob to let out a warning growl. "Don't you growl at me. Change back and _talk_ or I'll cut you into pieces!" I felt the predatory thrill coursing through my limbs as my body prepared for a fight. I held my shape together, though it took effort to keep my hands as hands and not razor-sharp talons.

Thankfully, Jacob did as I asked and phased behind a tree before jogging back to Alice and me with his trademark shorts-without-a-shirt look. He seemed cautious, but I couldn't detect any hostility directed toward me. Alice, on the other hand, he full-on glared at.

"Hanging out with the _leeches_ now, Bella?" Jacob spat toward Alice, who hissed back at him.

"So?" I prodded, ignoring his barb. "Why are you here, Jacob?"

"I don't _want_ to be here, OK?" Jacob raised his arms and huffed. "The elders didn't like that you never showed up; they wanted one of us to watch you to make sure you didn't kill anyone." Alice growled, seeming to agree with my line of thinking in that the whole thing was ridiculous. I was living with Charlie, for crying out loud!

"You don't have any right," I shook my head to keep from screeching at him and took a deep breath to center myself. "Go home, Jacob, and tell Sam if one of you comes snooping around my house again I'll start cutting off appendages." Jacob gulped and took a step backward.

"I'll tell him, but I don't call the shots with the pack," Jacob said. "Watch your back, Bella." His tone didn't sound threatening, like I knew it could have, so I only nodded at him and watched him disappear back into the thick of the woods.

I saw Alice straighten out of her crouch once Jacob was gone, though her face screwed up into a grimace. I seemed to frown and smile at the same time as I watched her rub her hand across her nose. Alice caught my gaze and rolled her eyes, taking my hand and tugging me behind the house and toward the same patch of woods I thought I had killed Jacob in yesterday.

"I think it's later," Alice sighed. "How in the world did you piss off the entire pack of wolves, Bella?" I chuckled as we crossed into the woods, heading in a different direction than the path that led to the creek.

"They didn't exactly agree with my diet," I sighed.

"Your diet?" Alice asked. I nodded.

"I used to feed off of people," I told her, silently wondering if I was allowed to say 'used to' when I had only fed off a single animal so far. "I had no idea I was capable of eating animals too, or I would have been doing that all along." I shrugged.

"OK," Alice came to a stop and turned to look at me. "I _had_ decided not to press you, Bella, but _now_ I can't help but ask…what are you?" I shrugged and slowly grinned.

"How much have you noticed?" I parroted her own words. Alice smiled and stepped back, cocking her head in thought.

"You don't smell human – at all – that's the first thing _my family_ noticed when we saw you at school," Alice said. "I can't quite explain it; it smells like sickness…but not really..."

"I _smell_ sick?" I scoffed. Alice's eyes widened and she shook her head rapidly.

"No, no," Alice assured me. "You smell like…the _imitation_ of the scent of a human who is sick. It's like a scented candle: it may smell _close_ to the real thing, but there's always that undertone of fakeness." I nodded slowly.

"I think I understand what you're talking about," I told her. "You can smell _that_ well?" I asked and she nodded.

"Your missing heartbeat was also a pretty big giveaway," Alice continued, making me sigh.

"That's one of the things Jacob noticed, too," I told her.

"You also seem to have better-than-human senses," Alice looked around at the trees. "It's dark enough that a human wouldn't be able to see much of anything, but you haven't stumbled once since we walked here."

"My vision is my most 'dominant' sense, I suppose you could say," I confirmed. "Most of my others are heightened as well, but apparently not to a vampire's level."

"So what are you?" Alice whined, appearing completely impatient. "Carlisle hasn't encountered anything like you and he's been at home, researching, since yesterday afternoon." I shrugged.

"I don't know," I admitted with a frown. "I don't exactly have a name for what I am, though I am fairly sure I can't be classified as a human anymore."

"So you weren't always like this?" Alice asked, leaning against a tree. I followed her lead and rested my back against one opposite her.

"No," I confirmed. "I was as normal as anyone else, but…I don't want to talk about it." I looked over to Alice, who nodded in apparent understanding.

"I don't remember any of my human life," Alice murmured. "None of us had graceful transformations, and I don't blame you for not wanting to talk about it." Her somber expression melted into a more-upbeat one. "So, what can you do that has the whole mutt pack scared of you?" I rolled my eyes and pushed off from the tree.

"I'll show you…but it's a bit strange," I scrunched up my nose. "I won't hurt you, though, so don't freak out, OK?" Alice eagerly nodded and I glanced down at my arms, which were bare since I left my hoodie back at the house and was wearing a t-shirt.

I let my arms shift shapes, forming into the red-and-black claws. Tiny barbs of liquid obsidian poked through the sleeves around my shoulders, ripping the fabric as they came to a point. I flexed my talons at my side, extending each point and rotating my wrist to show Alice each side of my claws.

Alice's eyes were wide – like saucers – and despite her assuring me she _wouldn't_ freak out, she was unable to contain the fear I saw running through her features. After a few moments she was able to tear her eyes off my weapons and look at my face, though I avoided eye contact and stared at the tree beside her.

"Oh…" Alice choked out. I gave a humorless laugh and nodded, allowing my human skin to slide back into place and cover up my monstrous insides.

* * *

**End notes:** So, there was a huge influx of reviews for the last chapter. Which is awesome; thanks.

Another cool thing is having this story added to the Alice/Bella community thing. I was already subscribed to it and got a kick out of receiving the email saying my story was added. I have no idea if there's some sort of criteria for having a story added to the community (besides the obvious), but it felt pretty good nonetheless.

For those who want updates immediately: sorry. I would like that too, but I would never be away from my computer if that happened. I give it my best effort to finish and update a chapter once a week, so that should give you a good-enough time frame to expect a new chapter.


	8. Fight Club

_{_

_The door opened as I moved to the kitchen doorway, practically shaking from fright. I had no weapons to defend myself with, though I doubted I would have been able to use them now as the adrenaline pumped through my veins._

_My heartbeat was loud as it pounded in my temples, growing louder as the seconds went by and my lungs burned from holding my breath. I could hear quiet breathing from inside the kitchen and the gentle scuff of feet on the floor. I eyed the staircase at the end of the hallway. If I could get to it, I could go up to my room and lock the door – escape out of the window._

_I took a measured step past the kitchen doorway when the outside door that had been opened by the intruder clicked shut, causing me to flinch out a gasp of surprise. My own hand smothered my mouth as I exhaled hot, nervous breaths through my shaking fingers. I took a clumsy step backward and scuffed my heel on the hardwood floor, panicking even more as the footsteps in the kitchen headed for me._

_The door swung open and I prepared my body for flight, but I was frozen in place instead. The person before me stood with eyes as wide with fear as my own were._

_"Bella?" I choked out, taking a step toward her._

_}_

**-Chapter 8: Fight Club-**

"Oh." Both of us stood there amongst the trees for a moment in silence.

Alice took a hesitant step closer to me, watching my expression as she approached like I would snap at any moment. The whole of it would have been funny if wariness hadn't been practically painted across Alice's pale face, and I mentally reminded myself that I was desensitized to my shape shifting abilities where Alice was not.

She took my hand in hers again, though her movement was more deliberate and robotic than the other couple of times she had held it. Her cool touch was feather-light on the back of my hand; barely any pressure at all. I squeezed her fingers as she continued to inspect my perfectly-normal-looking skin, smiling guiltily as she jerked her hand away at the sudden sensation.

"Sorry," I grinned and lowered my hand. Alice shook her head, appearing to lose the fear of me completely.

"No, it's fine," Alice assured me. "So…what else can you do?"

"Well," I considered. "I'm strong, too – I haven't found anything I couldn't lift, except for a house or something enormous." Alice's face cracked wide in a white smile.

"Oh, we have to test this," she chirped. "Come on, follow me." And just like that, she practically vanished. Oh, my eyes were able to track her as she rocketed away in a blur of speed, but she was literally here one second and gone the next.

I hesitated for only a moment before I started after her, moving deeper into the woods as I accelerated to speeds my poor truck would never reach. As the trees thinned, I caught sight of her sprinting form, but that was _only_ because of my supernatural eyesight. She was _much_ faster than I could ever hope to be; like riding a bicycle trying to catch a car on the highway.

She stopped in the middle of a large clearing, patiently waiting for me to catch up. I skidded to a stop as I reached the edge of the tree line, my heels digging into the soft ground to stop my momentum. Alice wore a thoughtful expression, and I wasn't entirely sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing – but it couldn't be as bad as the Walmart incident, right?

"You're fast, too," she nodded as she looked around, as if she were searching for something.

"But not as fast as _you_," I shook my head in disbelief. "Jeeze, Alice; how do you _move_ so fast?" She laughed as she danced away from me and picked up one of the many boulders that were scattered around the clearing like it was made of Styrofoam. I was frozen in place as she blurred back to where I was standing, still holding the muddy piece of rock out in front of her.

"Are you able to hold this?" she asked, shifting the weight of the boulder onto one hand so she could see me. I nodded quickly and took the large rock from her, holding it awkwardly in front of me as she had done. She hummed from somewhere in front of me, my view completely blocked by the sight of dirt-filled cracks and pores in granite. "How about an arm-wrestling match?" I dropped the boulder in front of me and frowned at Alice.

"You mean me against you?" I asked with a small bite of sarcasm, raising an eyebrow. Alice nodded, triggering a snort of disbelief.

I had no doubt she was strong – she had lifted the boulder as effortlessly as I had – but she was so _tiny_. I had tested my limits in Phoenix, before I left to come here. What I had – it went beyond mere 'super-strength.' It was a sort of terrifying, boundless strength that had to be constantly restrained. I had meant what I said: I hadn't found anything I couldn't lift that was able to be moved – including tanks and 16-wheelers.

"You're not going to hurt me, Bella," Alice rolled her eyes like my reaction was ridiculous. "I am _way_ stronger than I look. Don't you want to see if you're stronger than a vampire?" I grumbled at her bait; she clearly knew I was eager to test out my abilities on something more durable than inanimate objects.

"Fine, fine," I acquiesced and squatted next to the boulder, propping my elbow on the rough surface. "Let's go, then." Alice moved to the boulder and placed her arm down as well, pushing her hand against mine and clasping them together.

"On three?" I nodded. "One…two…_three_!" I locked the muscles in my arm, not wanting to go for the win immediately – I was eager to see how strong Alice really was.

Alice pushed, though; she was going for the win. The look of complete shock on her face when my arm didn't move made me snicker. I _could_ feel her strength, though; it wasn't insubstantial, but it was completely irrelevant against my own. Alice recovered and gritted her teeth, putting more force behind her grip. Her stone-like hand clenched harder against my own, but I still held.

"It looks like you're faster, but I'm stronger," I flexed my fingers against Alice's and pushed forward, the boulder creaking as her arm moved backward slowly but steadily. With a final push, Alice's arm hit the boulder and cracked it into pieces.

"Wow," Alice said as she stared at the destroyed boulder and flexed her fingers. Another smile crept upon her face, quickly morphing into giggles of laughter. "Oh, Bella; you _have_ to challenge Emmett to an arm-wrestling contest. He will be so _pissed _when he loses to you." I smiled at the thought of the enormous, brute of a vampire losing a contest of strength to someone my size.

"I guess I will," I told her, leaping up into a tree and hanging my feet over one of the larger limbs; Alice climbed up after me and sat down as well. We lapsed into a comfortable silence for a good amount of time, occasionally breaking it with questions not related to our different abilities.

"What's with Edward and Angela?" I asked. "Does she know you guys are vampires?" Alice sighed, and I had a feeling the subject was immensely more complicated than it appeared.

"Yes, she knows," Alice answered. "Angela is Edward's mate." I gave a questioning look to Alice, who continued. "Vampires mate for life – or eternity, or whatever. Apparently everyone has one – Carlisle has Esme, Emmett is with Rosalie, and now Edward found his mate in Angela."

"Oh yeah; vampires are immortal, right? I forgot to ask about that," Alice nodded. "But then, won't Angela have to become a vampire as well to be with Edward?"

"Yes, thank you!" Alice exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. "Edward and Angela make the whole thing seem much more complicated and dramatic than it needs to be."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"They're both religious," Alice sighed. "Angela's father is actually a minister, so she and Edward were hesitant to broach the topic. She eventually got over her fears and asked him to change her, but Edward is being difficult. He doesn't think we vampires have souls." Alice rolled her eyes. I huffed out a laugh of my own, turning my head toward the horizon as I caught the faint, ultra-violet light beginning to shimmer.

"I need to get back before Charlie wakes up," I said, standing up on my branch. Alice's eyes glazed over, like I had seen her do before, and she shook her head.

"He's not going to check on you," she told me with complete confidence in her voice. "You'll be fine." I frowned.

"How do you know?" I asked, doubt seeping heavily.

"Oh wow, we haven't even covered vampire gifts yet," Alice laughed to herself.

"Can you give me the abridged version?" I asked, leaping out of the tree and landing on the ground with a soft thud. Alice landed beside me with a much quieter impact, even though she was made of stone.

"Hmm," Alice hummed, tapping her finger against her chin. "Certain vampires – not all – wake up from the change with extra gifts, apart from the strength and speed all vampires have. I can see the future based on decisions – it's not infallible, but it's accurate most of the time as long as the person I am looking for doesn't change their mind."

"Holy shit, Alice; you can see the future?" I exclaimed, making the tiny vampire smile and nod.

"Yes, I can," she said. "Edward has a gift as well; he can read minds."

"Oh," I said, unsure whether or not to be upset at the invasion of privacy, or impressed at the extremely useful talent. A thought came to me suddenly, and I turned to Alice. "He can't read my mind, can he?" Alice frowned at me.

"How did you know that?"

"You would have known a lot more about me before today if he was able to," I reasoned. "I wasn't exactly careful with my thoughts when I was sitting at lunch with your family." Alice nodded, accepting my explanation.

"He can't read you at all," Alice confirmed. "And I can't see your future, either." She looked mildly upset at this, but all I felt was relief. It had to be annoying living with two psychics.

"Has that ever happened before?" I asked.

"No," Alice shook her head. "Well…I can't see the wolves' future, either, but Edward doesn't have any trouble reading their thoughts. This is the sort of thing we should be talking to Carlisle about; he loves a good mystery." I nodded absentmindedly.

"Maybe today, after school?" I asked, mentally wondering if I should head back to the house and get ready for school soon. The sun was halfway over the horizon now, shining brighter than I had ever seen it in Forks.

"I can't go to school today," Alice shook her head, pulling out her phone and typing a message on the keypad. "The sun is going to be out until one thirty."

"You still haven't shown me what happens to a vampire in the sun," I said, tilting my head to the side. Alice clasped her hands together and beamed at me.

"Well then, I suppose you'll just have to skip class today as well so I can show you."

"What?" I scoffed. "No. I've only been to class twice – I can't just skip out!" I scowled at Alice, even though the thought of a whole day free of high school was absolutely tempting.

"Carlisle's a doctor, remember?" Alice cocked an eyebrow at me. "He'll write you a note and excuse you from class, no problems – he's done it for us before, and I'm sure he wouldn't mind if he finally got to meet you." It was my turn to cock the eyebrow.

"You expect me to go over to your house?" I asked. Alice nodded. "I got the _strangest_ feeling that Edward and Rosalie didn't like me very much; why in the world would I go over there?"

"Edward will probably be with Angela – or at least watching out for her in the trees behind the school," Alice said. "And Esme and Emmett will be there to keep Rosalie in line; she won't try anything."

"I'm not worrying about _me_," I rolled my eyes. "I just don't think I should go over to your house when a third of your family doesn't want me there."

"I _am_ inviting you over, Bella," Alice sighed in exasperation. "Whether or not you show up is up to you, but don't let Rosalie or Edward sway your decision."

I considered it. I had the feeling Alice didn't _really_ care about what I was – she was inviting me over because she wanted to. But she had also come right out and said her father wanted to study me. Maybe she didn't say that exactly, but that was what I got out of her invitation. The stubborn, prideful part of me objected vehemently; I shoved the wolves' demand to meet with them, so why shouldn't I do the same with the vampires?

Except they hadn't demanded it of me like Sam did.

It was strongly suggested I go over to speak with them – perhaps that was a vampire custom? If I were a vampire encroaching on their territory, wouldn't they expect me to still meet with them? I didn't really know _that_ much about vampires to answer that question absolutely, but it seemed like the proper thing to do.

And then I remembered Edward would know all about Alice's and my conversation. He couldn't read my mind, but he _could_ read Alice's, and I doubted she could keep everything we discussed away from him. That alone was incentive enough to go, if only to defend myself in person if Edward should begin to evaluate my inhumanity from Alice's thoughts.

"Alright," I told Alice. "But only if you can convince Charlie and the school that I'm really out sick." Alice smiled wildly, almost beginning to vibrate in her excitement. "And I'll leave whenever I like, for whatever reason." Alice continued to nod like she hadn't heard me, whipping out her phone and typing away.

* * *

I ran behind Alice as we sped through the perpetual green of the forest surrounding Forks, thankful that she had agreed to slow down to a speed I could keep up with. The early morning light could not penetrate the thick sea of trees yet, but I could already tell Alice was right – it was going to be a rare sunny day.

Alice had pulled off my official excuse, much to my surprise. The story was that Alice, being my newly-made friend, had met me at my house to drive me to school when she saw that I was rather sick. She had Carlisle call both Charlie and the school, explaining that Alice had decided to forgo her family's camping expedition – as this was _their_ excuse for not being in class – to look after me.

I followed Alice as she leaped over a creek and through a condensed patch of trees, appearing on the other side in a thin gathering of the tall evergreens. I slowed to a stop as the light of the morning sun was finally able to touch down around us, my eyes drawn to Alice's skin like a tractor beam.

It was completely unexpected. She had told me she didn't burn in the sun, but I never would have guessed she would…glow. But it wasn't quite a glow – that wasn't the right word. No; she shimmered – her skin seemed to refract the light that hit it into a rainbow of fractal beams. It was overwhelmingly attractive and held a sort of otherworldly hypnotism to it.

"Alice," I gasped. She turned around and gave me a nervous smile, walking over to me at a slow pace.

"I was wondering when that was going to happen," Alice admitted. "So, not exactly what you thought it would be?" I shook my head.

"No," I admitted, moving closer and stretching one of my hands out toward her. I looked at Alice and she nodded her permission.

My fingers grazed her right arm, touching the smooth, cool surface of her skin. I had known what her skin felt like from her habit of holding my hand, but my brain couldn't reconcile the dancing sparkles of light with the completely unmarred and blemish-free texture of her skin. I hovered my hand a centimeter above her arm, watching the sparkle-free shadow of my fingers blur with the harsh refracting light, creating a soft glow around the edges.

"Well," I smirked, dropping my hand. "I can see why you wouldn't want to go out in the sunlight now." Alice laughed, obviously relieved at my reaction, and grabbed my hand, tugging me in the direction we were heading in. Before I knew it, we crossed over into another clearing – at least, that's what I thought it was until I saw the enormous mansion sitting on the other end.

The building was unreasonably large for a home, but it also held a prestigious air to it. The outside was painted a pure white, and though I could see minute traces of grime and surface scratches on the panels that gave it an off-white sheen, it was remarkably well-maintained. Off to the side, connected to the mansion but obviously an add-on, was an equally-impressive garage.

The entire look of it struck me as a sort of contradiction: a house this pristine and extravagant sitting in the middle of wild, muddy, and stifling forest. It was at that moment, when the shock of the envy-inducing home wore off, that I recognized this wasn't at all what I pictured when I imagined a vampire lair. Rundown, abandoned buildings with creaky floors and spider webs spun up around the beams and ceiling were what I had subconsciously drawn.

I realized what we were in wasn't a clearing at all – it was an oversized front yard. I gaped at it again, imagining what the _back yard_ must look like if this was the front. Somewhere off to the side, not too far away into the forest, I could hear the gentle rushing water of a large creek or river – the Calawah, if I remembered my geography.

My arm was tugged toward the front of the mansion by Alice; I hadn't even realized I had slowed us to a near standstill. Alice pulled me into her home, opening up the front door quickly and ushering me inside. The inside of the mansion was doubly as impressing, and further shattered my preconceived expectations of a vampire home.

The entire floor – most of it anyway – was one big, open space with the wall facing the river composed entirely of glass panels. A grand staircase took up the left side of the space, with a piano on the right. There was a door lodged under the stairs and a kitchen area on the opposite side of the front door, but that was it as far as the partitions went. It was very stark in its design, but completely effective.

I could hear two people talking quietly to each other somewhere above me, but the voices were too low to pick up any words. Quick, silent footsteps came from higher up, descending quickly; I turned to the staircase as the two vampires came into view. These must be Alice's 'parents,' since I had never seen either one before now.

Carlisle looked…young. My brain had a difficult time imagining someone of his apparent age – early-to-mid-twenties – to be a respected doctor and the family patriarch. He had the trademark golden eyes, pale skin, and supernatural beauty about him, but he seemed more…contained. He had combed-back blond hair and he wore a warm smile that instantly made me more at ease.

Esme seemed a year or two older than Carlisle, but she still held that disconcerting youthful appearance that seemed just as odd with her husband. Caramel-brown hair flowed around her heart-shaped face that could only be described as motherly. My insides reeled at the aura of affection that seemed to emanate from her welcoming expression and I had to look away from her to keep from embarrassing myself.

"Carlisle, Esme; this is Bella Swan," Alice chirped speedily. "Bella, meet my parental unit: Carlisle and Esme."

"Hello, Bella," Carlisle spoke, descending the stairs with Esme and clasping my hand. "Welcome to our home."

"Hi," I squeaked, releasing his hand. "Thanks for the invitation." I tried, and mostly succeeded, in not making it sound like a question. I was still a bit unsure how the back and forth about what I am – verses what they were – was to take place.

"It's good to meet you, Bella," Esme surprised me with a hug. My shoulders stiffened, but I didn't cringe away from the contact like I would have if she were human. She gave my shoulders a gentle squeeze as she pulled away from me. "Alice has spoken of you often." I nodded dumbly at her statement.

"Good; introductions are out of the way," Alice spoke, grabbing my hand again and tugging me past a smiling Carlisle and Esme as we jogged up the stairs. "Come on; I'll show you my room." I laughed quietly at her exuberance as we entered the second – of three – floor and went down the long hallway to her room.

I'll admit I was a little hesitant about entering her room. I had seen her car and the way she dressed – not that both weren't awesome, because her car was smoking hot and she definitely had an eye for fashion. Alice was…flashy and colorful, so imagine my surprise when her room wasn't an epileptic's worst nightmare.

Most of the room carried the running theme of white on a-slightly-darker-white, but there were subtle bursts of bright yellow and magenta in her drapes and posters, which featured images of different outfits and various locations around the world. I recognized Paris, St. Louis, and Sydney from the famous landmarks, but there were many others. It had an energetic, urban feel to it, but it also felt cool and relaxing at the same time.

"You don't have a bed?" I asked as soon as I realized the only sort of furniture to be seen was a black leather couch facing a widescreen TV mounted on the wall.

"We don't sleep," Alice said, frowning. "And we've been talking all night..." I shook my head and sat down on the couch.

"Don't worry about me," I told her, hoping to rid her of worry about my health. "I don't sleep either. But I still usually lie down at night, whenever I can."

"Why?" Alice asked as she climbed onto the other end of the couch, crossing her legs as she leaned back against the armrest.

"I use less energy when I'm not moving around," I shrugged. Alice nodded, either understanding why I felt the need to conserve whatever energy I could, or not wanting to pry.

"Oh!" Alice exclaimed, jumping off the couch and blurring over to another door. She opened it to reveal the largest stock of clothes I had ever seen. There were literally racks of clothes sitting in the middle of the room-sized closet like one would find in the clothes section of Walmart. She made positive and negative humming noises as she zoomed around the space, finally coming back to the couch with a bundle of clothes in her arms.

"What…" I trailed off as Alice held several different shirts and blouses up in the air.

"Your t-shirt is still ripped from your little demonstration in the woods," she answered without taking her eyes off the collection of items. "Not that it's a bad thing it was ruined – it was much too bland."

She handed me an assortment of shirts she had deemed acceptable and ushered me into her bathroom to change. New pants were offered as well, but I staunchly defended my bottom attire – after all, they weren't damaged at all, no matter how cheap or 'bland' they were. Alice grudgingly accepted my reasoning, though I could still hear her quietly grumbling under her breath from the bathroom.

I took off my tattered t-shirt and put it on the counter. Creating some faux-clothing of my own would be easily done, but I really wasn't ready to share _that_ much about my strange physiology with Alice. I could tell we were already friends, but I still needed to keep some things to myself, and I knew anything I told Alice would eventually get leaked to Edward. I slipped on a brick-red button-up shirt that was tighter than I was used to wearing, exiting the bathroom with both the leftover clothing and my tattered shirt.

"I'll take these," Alice grabbed the rejected shirts, snagging the ripped shirt out of my other hand as well. "And…I'll burn this one." I scoffed, but it rolled into a chuckle; I couldn't really wear it anymore anyway with the tears.

The scuffing and echoing of footsteps came from the hallway, moving toward Alice's door. There was a knock a fourth of a second before the door was opened, revealing a grinning Emmett and an indifferent Rosalie. I opened my mouth to say hello to them, hoping to put forth an effort to not aggravate the blonde vampire, when I was snatched up into two lumberjack-sized, cold arms.

"So, if it isn't the unknown creature, Bella Swan," Emmett jested, squeezing me a little tighter than he should have if I had been a normal human being. I huffed out a pathetic laugh of my own, unable to squeeze the proper portion of air into my lungs. "What have you two been up to in here, eh?" I could practically feel the insinuation in the air.

Not one to be bested – and remembering what Alice had said about humiliating Emmett in a strength contest – I returned the favor with a squeeze of my own. I didn't put enough pressure behind my grip to harm him, only about the level I had used to beat Alice at arm wrestling. Emmett let out a short huff of surprise as my arms constricted around his hard skin, the granite texture of it giving slightly under the hug.

"Hello, Emmett; Rosalie," I laughed as I let go, Emmett's face a mixture of shock, humiliation, and determination as I peered up at him. Rosalie moved next to him and gave me a stare, shifting her gaze to Emmett as he grinned at me and pounded his fist into his hand. I had to admit, the sound of rock fist hitting rock hand was intimidating – especially with the excited grin on his face that accompanied the gesture.

"Dude, it's so on, Bella," Emmett boomed, motioning me to follow him as he blurred out of Alice's room. "Come on! Backyard; let's go!" Emmett's voice carried as he yelled from the back of the house. I laughed and followed him at a slower pace; Alice and Rosalie followed behind me.

Carlisle and Esme were already outside, standing in the shade of the wrap-around porch as they both peered out into the backyard at Emmett. Rosalie flitted past them and joined Emmett, both of them sending refracted light out onto the grass from the harsh sunlight overhead. I jumped down the stairs and landed in the grass, barely able to contain the giggles that had bubbled into my throat.

"What are you laughing at, Swan?" Emmett somehow managed to whine with a deep voice, which actually sent me over the edge and brought on a few short bursts of laughs.

"Sparkles are a good look for you, Emmett," I snickered. "Very…_masculine_." Emmett growled, clearly unhappy with being the focal point of my humor.

"We'll see who's laughing after I whoop your ass," Emmett pumped his muscles. "First to pin the other wins – don't worry; I'll go easy on you." I scoffed at him and pointedly ignored the concerned whispers from Carlisle and Esme. Alice was grinning from off to the side; she had found her own spot of shade under a tree close by.

"Whatever you say, Emmett," I chuckled, taking a stance with my hands extended by my sides. I wouldn't be fighting with my more _gruesome_ abilities, so I needed to rely on brute strength to win.

Emmett grinned and crouched, digging his feet into the earth like a bull about to charge. With a burst of speed that didn't quite match Alice's grace, the giant lumbered toward me at super speed. I braced myself, digging my planted feet easily into the grass. He hit with a meaty thud that actually _hurt_. It wasn't extremely painful, but I had gone so long without the familiar aches and pains of humanity that it was a startling surprise.

He was, however, unable to move me very far. His momentum had caused the both of us to slide backward a few meters into the yard, leaving brown trenches in our wake. Emmett grabbed my shoulders and tried to force me down, grunting as I remained steadfast – an immovable object. I wrapped my arms around his biceps and broke his grip, clamping down on his arms as he did mine and spinning him around.

I threw him with moderate strength, enjoying the sight of his flailing arms as he sailed into the tree line, snapping branches and felling trees like Jacob had done when I hit him. Emmett came back faster, apparently finished holding back, and charged me head-on again. We once again slid back, locked in combat as Emmett tried to overcome my insurmountable strength.

I let go of Emmett unexpectedly as he swept my legs out from underneath me, following me to the ground as I fell. He was quick to lock my arms and push down, eager to pin me to the ground. I bucked underneath him and kicked his body over my head. I pushed off the ground and pressed my knee against his throat as I fell on top of him, using my other legs and arms to pin him down.

There wasn't an official call that I had won, but Emmett let out a ceremonious 'fuck,' prompting me to let him up. He looked at me for a moment with an unreadable expression on his face. I was worried he would be angry I had pinned him until his familiar grin grew across his face, dimples forming on his cheeks.

"Nice job," Emmett said, completely disregarding the streaks of mud and grass stains that littered his torn clothing. I was sure I looked much the same, which meant Alice would have another go at redressing me. "I'll beat you next time though, Swan." Emmett seemed completely confident, and I didn't bother to tell him that was unlikely.

My attention was drawn away from the spectacle of the after-fight backyard arena by the sound of an approaching car. Carlisle went inside after giving me a speculative look, Esme trailing behind him. Emmett and Rosalie disappeared into the woods, leaving only Alice and I in the back yard. I jogged over to her as I tried to shrug off some of the loose pieces of debris from my clothes.

"Edward and Angela are here," Alice said, her eyebrows warping on her forehead.

* * *

**End notes:** So, right after I pretty much said I would be updating once a week I was late with the update. Go figure. Not a big deal, though; it was only a day or so behind schedule. I tried to make it up to you with more action and a larger word count. Also, Bella met the Cullens (or, well, most of them; we'll get to see the Edward/Angela interaction next time) which seemed to be a popular 'I look forward to' thing.

So, I pretty much have the story mapped out in my head - allowing for variations as the mood strikes, of course. There _will_ be a bad guy to fight. Well, there'll be more than one, but the other one doesn't really count. Don't worry about it; you'll see soon enough.

I'm out.


	9. Friendship

_{_

_She looked so scared. My little girl!_

_I was quick to run to her, my fears completely lost as I saw with my own eyes the daughter everyone said had died. The look on her face changed to one of panic and she leapt away from me with surprising speed. I stumbled but caught myself on the kitchen counter, having tripped into the room._

_"Mom?" Bella said, her voice shaking and unsure. I nodded, my vision already beginning to blur as I sniffled._

_"It's alright, Bella," I told her, taking a slower step toward her. "It's going to be OK." I let out a strangled cry of joy as I again looked at her._

_"It's not," she shook her head at me. "I'm not – there's something wrong with me, mom." I took another step toward her and she raised her hand and took a step back, her back nudging against the refrigerator. "Don't."_

_"I know it's scary out there," I reassured her. "And what you must have _went through_!"_

_"Stay away from me!" Bella shrieked in warning, sounding hysterical._

_}_

**-Chapter 9: Friendship-**

"Edward and Angela are here," Alice said.

I frowned, getting the sense that the fun-and-games portion of my visit was coming to a close. The hours spent alone with Alice and the fight with Emmett had loosened me up and worked away the anxiety that had been churning where my stomach used to be. I looked to Alice with an expectant gaze – I was her guest, after all; I would leave it up to her on how to proceed.

"I suppose we should wait with Carlisle and Esme," Alice rolled her eyes and started toward the back door. I followed behind her with a sigh, but didn't say anything.

"Did he know I was here?" I asked Alice as we entered a small living area, furnished with chairs, couches, and a large-screen television so large, I didn't even know they were made in that size. Alice nodded and moved to the window, following the movements of the Volvo as it rolled out of sight and into the garage.

"I texted him and told him you were coming over today," Alice told me, dancing over to one of the chairs and sitting next to Esme, who was sitting next to Carlisle. I took a seat as well, feeling uncomfortable being the only one standing. "I think he was actually _relieved_ you weren't at school with Angela when he couldn't be there to protect her." Her words dripped with sarcasm and I smiled at her, thankful that at least _she_ trusted me not to kill my classmates.

"Where did Emmett and Rosalie go?" I asked as I picked up the sound of a door downstairs opening and closing. A fraction of the anxiety I had experienced before I arrived crept back in, and I found myself missing the amusing, playful atmosphere that emanated from Emmett. I would even suffer through Rosalie's silent contempt if it meant the brute of a vampire were here to diffuse the situation.

"Hunting," Alice answered absentmindedly. I turned to her and saw that familiar far-away look in her eyes. "They'll be back later tonight." I nodded and shifted my head as I caught movement out of the corner of my eye.

Edward approached with a confident stride, though the look of caution in his eyes alerted me to how serious he was about Angela's safety. The girl in question was behind him, though it appeared it wasn't by her own will that she was obscured from my sight. I gave him what I hoped to be a reassuring smile, to which he nodded back. My eyes widened comically; surely Edward Cullen wasn't being polite?

Edward paused after he stepped into the living area and Angela took the opportunity to maneuver around her boyfriend and approached where Alice and I sat. Edward watched the interaction like a hawk, not bothering to sit down, but at least he allowed it. Angela didn't hug me – for which I was grateful – but she made a point to not shy away from me.

"Hi, Bella," Angela greeted, pushing her glasses up on her face, and then took the small moment to wave hello to Carlisle and Esme. "So, did Alice explain everything to you?" I nodded.

"Oh my god," Alice interrupted me before I could talk, her voice vibrating like she was on the verge of giggling. "You should have seen it, Angela; Bella kicked Emmett's ass at wrestling. It wasn't even _close_." Angela looked to me with her mouth parted slightly in awe. Clearly, she had an understanding of how strong a vampire was.

"It wasn't _that_ easy," I spoke up, not wanting to make my feat more than it was. "Emmett almost pinned me once." Alice let out a 'pfff' sound, which I mentally agreed with if I was being honest. He was fast enough to push me to the ground, but it wasn't difficult to shove him off me.

"I think we all know you beat Emmett effortlessly," Carlisle put in, chuckling under his breath. This drew the attention away from me and Angela walked back to the opposite side of the small room, pulling Edward down beside her.

"Angela, dear, can I get you a snack?" Esme spoke up, looking at the tall girl with fondness.

"Sure," Angela smiled. "If it's not too much trouble."

"None at all," Esme said, shifting head to look at me. "Bella, can I get you anything?" I looked at her in confusion for a moment, before I realized she had no idea I wasn't able to eat or drink anything.

"No," I shook my head. "Thanks anyway." Esme nodded and walked out of the room at a normal speed, disappearing downstairs without a sound.

"Would you mind if I asked you a few questions, Bella?" Carlisle asked me after his wife left. "We could go to my office if it would make you more comfortable." I sighed and shook my head.

"It's fine," I told him. "You can ask your questions here; I don't mind." It was a partial lie. I didn't like talking about _that_ part of myself at all, but I understood why it was important that I did. I had proven I was capable of outmatching a vampire and I had told Alice I beat the wolves in the altercation I had with them, so I felt physically secure. Emotionally, I wasn't prepared at all – I didn't know if I ever would be.

"Alice informed us that you didn't know what you were – only that you were no longer human," Carlisle spoke and I quickly glanced at Alice, wondering how she had managed to tell Carlisle that much without me knowing. "May I ask how you became this way?" I internally flinched, but resolved to skip over the more unpleasant parts of my 'origin story.'

"I'm sure you heard about Phoenix?" I asked him, to which he nodded, looking more confused and intrigued at the same time. "I was inside the capitol building when it happened. I don't remember much – a lot of my memories are gone – but I do know that I woke up in the rubble like this a few hours after the attack."

"It was all over the news for months – it is probably still being covered," Edward supplied. "But…you don't look anything like those _things_ that were walking around ground zero."

"I know," I agreed. "And I don't know why that is, but I _am_ infected." Edward hissed and moved in front of Angela, causing me to freeze. "I'm not…it's not contagious unless I cut her or something – it's not airborne, as far as I can tell. Well, at least _my_ version of whatever the hell this is isn't airborne; I've been around enough people to make sure."

"It's remarkable," Carlisle mused. "Perhaps you are a carrier, since you seem to have no deformities and are completely cognizant. I would very much like to run some tests on your DNA, if you would consent to it." I nodded, forgetting Carlisle was a doctor.

"That…would actually be great!" I grinned. "I would love some answers, but I haven't exactly been able to go see a doctor about my condition."

"No, I suppose not," Carlisle chuckled as Esme entered the room, depositing some celery and peanut butter on the table in front of Angela. "How did you realize you were infected with the virus if you were still _you_, so to speak?"

"It was the things I could do," I looked at my hands. "I didn't have _all_ my memories, but I had enough to remember I was never able to toss cars around or leap several stories in the air. That, and there were the safeguards that were erected around the city. I don't know how they worked, exactly, but the sentries would light up and sound out a warning whenever something infected wondered too close."

"And you wondered too close," Carlisle guessed. I nodded.

I nearly shivered at the memory of Phoenix as I left for my mom's funeral. The media showed only a fraction of the carnage on the news. It was still practically a warzone when I left – a winding-down warzone, but a violent and dangerous one nonetheless. The disfigured, shuffling corpses that used to be people were still walking about in some pockets of the city and the army had continued to make their presence known.

But the 'zombies' that were shown often on the television weren't even the worst of it. The virus – if it was a virus at all – had mutated and evolved, creating monsters that made the walking infected seem like scarecrows. They were teeth and claws and _very_ difficult to kill unless one had a tank – or shape shifting powers and super strength. Those things were never covered by news cameras, and I doubt they ever would be.

"Do you know who was behind the attack?" Esme asked me.

"No," I shook my head. "I tried to stay low after I woke up, and the news coverage there wasn't any better than the stuff you got here, I'd bet."

"What about your diet?" Edward asked with a direct tone, locked in a staring contest with Alice. I glanced back and forth between the two of them before I answered.

"Apparently it's the same as yours," I told him. "I don't just take the blood, though; I need to consume the entire body – or most of it, anyway." I grimaced as I remembered the chunks of wet leftovers sprinkled with fur from my first and only animal hunt.

Speaking of consuming, I could already feel the familiar fatigue starting to build in my bones. It wasn't quite to the level of hunger I usually let myself get to before feeding, but it seemed to be building faster than it used to – back when I was on a steady stream of human for my meal intake. I wondered if animals were less compatible with my body, or if they were fully compatible at all. I internally shivered at the thought.

What if I had to continue to feed on people?

"Animals?" Carlisle asked. I nodded to him, content to let my fears be my own until I learned whether or not I could live without consuming people.

"I used to survive on the zombies in Phoenix when I was able to," I told him, which seemed to interest him greatly. "But I had to consume people too, sometimes; the wolves were the ones who gave me the idea about animals."

"Ah yes, the Quileute tribe," Carlisle mused to himself. "Alice tells me they didn't quite take to you."

"That's an understatement," I scoffed. "A bunch of self-righteous assholes is what they really are." Alice and Edward grinned at that, and I even saw a half smile fight its way onto Carlisle's and Esme's faces.

"They're not _that_ bad," Angela frowned. "I mean, they're just looking out for their tribe's safety."

"Have you met Paul?" I asked her pointedly, to which she blushed and pursed her lips. I nodded my head in triumph, not bothering to add anything further.

* * *

After the informal meeting, the talk dissolved into a friendly gathering of sorts. I couldn't say that Angela and I _bonded_, but we were definitely able to just hang out with the family of vampires – sans Emmett and Rosalie, who hadn't come back yet. Edward was…civil, which was light-years from his standoffish, growling demeanor during my first two days at school.

After an hour or so, Carlisle motioned for me to follow him, so I waved goodbye to Alice and the others and trailed after the blond-headed patriarch. He led me into what seemed to be a mini-library – books wrapped around three of the walls and an expensive-looking wooden desk sat to one side. Carlisle closed the door as we entered and gestured for me to sit in the chair in front of the desk.

"It's not going to be a problem for me to be here, right?" I said with barely-disguised anxiety as the doctor took the seat behind the desk, looking completely in his element.

"No, no," Carlisle assured me. "I believe we will get along just fine. That's not actually why I brought you up here. You said your…infection cannot be spread unless you cut an individual?" I squirmed in my seat.

"I…actually don't know if I _could_ infect someone else," I admitted. "Whenever I get close enough to do that, I usually kill them immediately." Carlisle 'hmm'ed at that for a moment.

"I know I already brought the subject up downstairs, but would you be willing to allow me to run some tests on your biology? Nothing more invasive than a few blood samples, I assure you; I would just feel more comfortable knowing exactly what the virus inside of you is capable of." I nodded almost immediately.

"Of course," I said. "I'd like to know, too. Do you think…you could find a cure?" I tried not to let any hope seep into my voice, but Carlisle's eyes softened all the same.

"I won't be able to tell until I see what I am dealing with," Carlisle shook his head. "But I will try, I can promise you that." I nodded and sat back in the chair.

"When do you need to take the samples?" I asked.

"Would after school tomorrow work for you?" he asked. "I have a few hours before my late shift at the hospital."

"That works," I confirmed. "I just have to ask Charlie, but I'm sure he'll be OK with me coming over here again."

"Speaking of your father," Carlisle eyed me with speculation. "Is he aware of your…condition?"

"No," I shook my head. "He knows I went missing for a short time after the attack, but he has no idea I am so different." I looked at the doctor, who seemed to be both listening to me and pondering something else at the same time. "Why, do you think I should tell him?" He cocked his head minutely to the side.

"That's your decision, I'm afraid. You know your father better than I do; do you think he would be able to take it?"

"I don't know," I sighed. "He was so _happy_ to see I was alright, especially after my mom…" I trailed off, unable to talk about that topic. "I just don't want to destroy his world by bringing it up – I don't want him to look at me differently." Carlisle nodded in understanding, but didn't follow up with another question. He tilted his head up after a moment, appearing to be focusing on something.

Two seconds later, I was able to hear what Carlisle had obviously sensed before me: the faint sound of footsteps clomping outside and the carrying voice that belonged to Emmett. I rose out of my seat and followed Carlisle out of his office and down to the first floor, where the rest of the Cullens had gathered. Emmett was standing next to a pissed-off Rosalie, both their clothes disheveled and their hair mussed.

"What happened, Emmett?" Carlisle asked when we arrived. Emmett seemed to be in a foul mood, muttering curses under his breath.

"Victoria happened," Rosalie explained. "She killed another hiker in the woods; we ran across her trail just as she was finishing up." There were multiple hisses all around, the loudest coming from Edward, who wrapped his arm around Angela protectively.

"Why didn't I see this?" Alice questioned, crunching her eyebrows together.

"She was right on the treaty line," Rosalie said. "It was probably the mutts interfering with your visions again." Alice let out a dramatic shriek and bounded back upstairs. I gave her disappearance an odd look, which Rosalie must have caught. "Alice gets a little…upset when she misses things; she thinks she should be able to see everything because of her gift." I gave her a small nod before looking back at Carlisle.

"Who's Victoria?" I questioned.

"She is a vampire who was a part of a larger coven that came to Forks a few months ago," Carlisle told me. "Her mate, James, tried to attack Angela after he discovered she was human." Carlisle frowned in thought, looking like he was miles away.

"And what happened to James?"

"He's dead," Edward answered with a hint of pride, giving me the feeling that he would gladly do it again if Angela was threatened – and there was no doubt in his tone that it was _he_ who had killed the vampire.

"So she's what, killing people to get back at you guys?" I tried to wrap my head around that logic. Maybe it was considered poaching to kill on another vampire's turf? Or, perhaps this Victoria knew the loss of human life would aggravate the Cullens, with their animal-drinking lifestyle?

"She wants me," Angela spoke softly, her voice shaking. I looked over at her as she nested against Edward's frame. "Edward killed her mate, so she wants to kill his. A mate for a mate." She said the last bit mechanically, like she were under a spell, and I wondered just how much psychological damage it would cause a normal person to have a vengeful vampire after you – wanting to kill you.

"Was Laurant with her?" Esme asked Emmett, who shook his head. I shuffled closer to Angela and Edward, ignoring the way he stiffened as I drew nearer.

"No, we only saw the bitch," Emmett growled, rolling his shoulders. "I didn't smell anyone else, either." Rosalie shook her head as well.

"Who's Laurant?" I whispered to Angela, not wanting to interrupt the flow of conversation among those already caught up.

"He was part of James' coven," Angela whispered back to me. "He didn't want to fight, so Carlisle let him go." I nodded and eased back out of Edward's 'personal bubble,' allowing him to relax a bit.

My eye caught the stove-top digital clock from my view of the kitchen across the open floor – 5:15. Charlie got off work at 6:00, and if I wanted to get home in time to start his dinner before he got home, I needed to leave soon.

Emmett and Rosalie went upstairs to change out of their ruined clothing and Edward assured Angela he would stay with her to watch out for Victoria, the both of them following the others upstairs. I waited until the gathering had died down and most of the vampires went to their respective areas before I spoke up.

"I probably need to be going if I want to get home before Charlie does," I tilted my head toward the front door as I spoke to Carlisle and Esme. "Thanks for inviting me over."

"You're very welcome," Carlisle nodded toward me. I didn't flinch this time as Esme embraced me in a hug, instead I wrapped my arms gently around her body and returned it, even if only half-heartedly. "I'll see you tomorrow?" I nodded.

"You're welcome here any time, Bella," Esme let me go just as light footsteps tapped down the staircase. Abruptly, I was pulled into a much smaller, but more energetic hug.

"Bye, Bella," Alice said quickly, pulling back with an apologetic look on her face. "Sorry you had to sit through all of our drama." I laughed and rolled my eyes.

"It's alright," I assured her as I walked to the door, the small vampire walking along side of me. "It was actually a _lot_ of fun beating up on Emmett – you were right about that."

"Don't worry, you'll definitely get another chance to fight him; Emmett enjoys a challenge."

"Damn right!" Emmett's voice boomed from above my head, the sound echoing strangely as it passed through the multiple rooms and spaces.

"You can come hang out with me tonight if you want," I told her as we stepped outside. "I'm not sure I can stick to my 'sleep' routine with all of this supernatural excitement." Alice nodded.

"I'll be by later, then; after Charlie goes to bed."

I waved goodbye and took off into the forest, following the same path Alice and I took to get here as I raced toward my house.

* * *

**End notes:** No, I don't think I'll be writing Edward as a complete asshole. He'll be protective and he sure as hell won't trust Bella completely (at least for now) but he's not the villain of the story. That comes later.

As for Bella having the gliding ability from _[Prototype]_: that's probably not going to happen. It's a cool ability to have, undoubtedly, but I always thought it was too...unconvincing in the game. A dense bioweapon that absorbs mass and is practically indestructible shouldn't be able to glide at all (in my opinion, of course).

We'll see how it goes.


	10. Animal Pudding

_{_

_Bella's hand dug into the refrigerator, her fingers actually crumpling the thick metal sheet like it was tin foil. I took a step back instinctively and looked at my daughter again._

_She looked like Bella – albeit frightened and frantic – but she was so_ strong_! A jolt of fear ran down my spine, instantly followed by a rush of shame. I wasn't actually afraid of my Bella, was I? Even if she was different, she wasn't like _them_._

_I held out my hands reassuringly and took a step forward._

_"It's OK," I cooed. "Bella, you don't have to be afraid." I took another step forward. And another._

_My arms wrapped around my baby's shaking body slowly, and I sighed in relief that she didn't pull away. I felt the refrigerator shift as she pulled her hands away from the contorted metal and returned the embrace with a steady grip. Steady streams of tears ran down my face and dripped onto her shoulders as we held each other._

_}_

**-Chapter 10: Animal Pudding-**

Alice and I followed the thudding footsteps and cracking tree limbs ahead of us as we raced through the darkness. Emmett relished in actually being better at something; even though he was the slowest in his family of vampires, he could still out stride me easily.

It was Friday night tonight, and Charlie had given me the OK to spend the weekend with Alice and the rest of the Cullens. It felt nice, not having to worry about hurrying back to my father before he got home – it felt nice just _being_ myself around somebody and not have them running and screaming away from me.

That's not to say those who hadn't already seen my serpent-like insides reacted without fear. No, there was plenty of shock and awe surrounding my appointment with Carlisle a couple days ago.

_"Thank you for coming," Carlisle greeted me as I entered a room on the third floor, which appeared to be a fully-stocked operating room. There was a huge difference, though, from what little I remembered of the common furnishings. An enormous, transparent tent took up almost half of the room._

_"Thanks for doing this," I countered. "It would be nice to know more about the infection." Carlisle nodded and motioned for me to sit down on one of the chairs inside of the tent, peeling away the opening for me to enter._

_"I apologize for all this," he waved his hand around the open space from inside the plastic as he pulled out several instruments and finally sealed us inside. "But as I have no idea how infectious the disease you carry is, I felt it appropriate to err on the side of caution." I shook my head dismissively at him as I sat down._

_"I'm actually relieved," I told him. "I wouldn't exactly want Forks to turn into another Phoenix. Safety first, and all that." He nodded at me and pulled out an empty syringe._

_"So, first things first: a blood sample," Carlisle gently took my arm and swabbed it with a brown-colored liquid. It burned like alcohol on an open wound, and I couldn't help but grimace. "Don't worry; I have excellent control." He must have taken the face I made as discomfort with a vampire taking a blood sample, and I shook my head again._

_"It's not that," I told him. "I just don't think you're going to _get_ a blood sample from me, but you're of course welcome to try." Carlisle gave me a questioning look, but decided to continue anyway._

_It turned out I was right about not getting any blood into the syringe. The needle went into my skin with relative ease, but nothing would travel through the needle's head when Carlisle pulled the plunger back. I felt the mass in my arm writhing as the pinprick of suction pulled near the crease of my elbow, but absolutely nothing emptied into the tube. Carlisle pulled the needle out of my arm and hummed to himself, his eyes glancing over several tools._

_"I might have an idea to get you a sample," I told him, instantly drawing his attention to me. "Do you have a large scalpel or a saw or something?" He nodded._

_"Yes, I do, but you're not thinking of _cutting_ yourself, are you?"_

_"It's not that big of a deal," I nearly rolled my eyes at his concern. "But if you want the sample, you're going to need something bigger than a syringe to hold it – something like a jar or…" I cut off as Carlisle darted over to one side of the tent and held up a lidded beaker, which I nodded my assent toward. "I already showed Alice this but…it can be a little jarring at first."_

_"What do you mean?" the doctor asked, sitting back down with his instruments ready. I rolled up my sleeve further, hoping I could spare the t-shirt I was wearing from an untimely demise._

_"Just get ready to take your sample," I sighed, realizing it was best to just _show_ him instead of preparing him._

_I flexed the muscles in my arm and my right hand dissolved and reformed quickly, spewing a multitude of tendrils onto the metallic table between Carlisle and me. The normally-composed vampire hissed and jerked back at the sight of the writhing mass, which continued to move even though I attempted to hold still. They weren't sharp – and they certainly weren't dangerous to a vampire in this state – but they were certainly intimidating._

_"See?" I half laughed, half spoke in a quasi-serious tone. Carlisle tore his bugged-out eyes away from my mutated appendage and looked at me with a mixture of horror and…pity? The expression was so unexpected that I relaxed my hold for a moment, allowing the tendrils to halfway transform back into a hand, leaving me with a lava-colored, pudgy-fingered paw-hand._

_"I apologize, it's just…" Carlisle let out a breath and stood erect, cautiously moving closer to me much like Alice did when I showed her my claws. "I've never seen _anything _like this before." I nodded in understanding and subtly shifted my arm back into the mass of tendrils._

_"Well, are we going to do this or what?" I asked, prompting Carlisle into action. He nodded and moved closer, lifting the scalpel and gently grasping the thicker strands of red and black to hold my arm in place. Against my will, the mass in my arm began to struggle and the tendrils flailed haphazardly, even as I gritted my teeth and willed them to be still. Smaller threads branched out from in between Carlisle's grasp, weaving between his fingers and inching over his hand. "You might want to get on with it."_

_Needing no more convincing, the blade came down on the ends of the tendrils and cleaved them cleanly, separating them from the rest of me. I gasped at the sharp pain that traveled through my body, my arm bucking off the table and easily breaking Carlisle's hold as I turned away and hissed at the throbbing ache. Thankfully, the damage healed over quickly and my arm shifted back into its normal, human appearance; I flexed my fingers, not seeing or feeling any permanent damage._

_"Are you alright?" Carlisle's voice asked. I turned around to find him holding the sealed beaker, about a fourth of a cup of black, viscous goo sloshing around inside. He set the container inside a plastic BIOHAZARD bag and approached me quickly, taking my hand into his own and turning it over and back again, inspecting and searching for damage where none existed._

_"I'm fine," I assured him. "It just hurt a bit." Carlisle huffed out a short laugh, but conceded that I was unharmed and backed off._

Somehow down the line, the truth about my physiology leaked out to Emmett, who immediately wanted to see my 'tentacles.' Alice suggested we go for a hunt instead of playing show and tell, since I was curious about how vampires hunted, and that was how the four of us ended up here, deep in the Olympic forest.

Alice and I came upon Emmett and Rosalie quickly, who had stopped at the entrance to a cave embedded in a cliff wall. The brutish vampire turned and wiggled his eyebrows at me, which I cocked an eyebrow at.

"What are you doing, Emmett?" I asked. He rubbed his palms together and grinned in what looked like excitement.

"Can't you smell it?" he asked, which I shook my head at. I didn't have the nose or ears of a vampire, after all. "There are a couple bears sleeping in there. I'm going to go wake them up, so you better get ready, Swan. Release the kraken or whatever." I scoffed at him, but he had already blurred inside the cave.

There was a distant thud that came from within the cave, followed by a louder roar of anger – presumably from one of the bears. Another thud echoed out of the mouth of the cave and suddenly a flailing bear was tossed out into the open. It rolled three times before it shook itself off and stood erect, baring its mouth wide as it let loose its displeasure at being woken up from hibernation.

The bear was much larger than I would have expected it to be – blurry pictures of sluggish black bears and polar bears at the park in Phoenix flashed through my mind, but none of them compared to _this_ beast. It was tall and wide as it stood on its hind legs with its claws bared at its side. This had to be a grizzly.

Emmett rushed out of the cave at a slower speed than I knew he was capable of, even though it was still superhumanly fast. The bear's roar of defiance was abruptly cut off as Emmett plowed into it, knocking the air out of the bear's lungs and sending the both of them tumbling into the underbrush outside the mouth of the cave. The sound of breaking bone was followed by Emmett's booming laugh, and the ball of fur was tossed back against the side of the cliff.

I glanced at Alice, who was resting her back against a tree, and imitated her pose. Rosalie, who was across from us, seemed bored-yet-accommodating, and I had the feeling Emmett liked to show off his strength often against the animals he drank from.

My eyes refocused on the bear, which was limping, though it wouldn't back down from the fight. It raked its claws against Emmett, and had he been human his chest would have been shredded open. As it was, the only damage done was to the clothes Emmett wore – and perhaps the bear's claws, which grated against the stone-like skin of its attacker.

Emmett's pose changed almost imperceptibly, switching from playful and eager to poised and predatory. His muscles bunched in his back and a low growl rolled out of his chest, and like a cobra strike, Emmett flashed against the animal and slammed it against the rock face. His teeth found purchase in the bear's neck and he drained the animal quickly, spurts of blood spattering everywhere as the struggling eased down into nothing and the bear stilled.

The second bear lumbered out of the cave just as Emmett finished his meal and wiped the dripping blood from his mouth with his ravaged sleeve. The newly awoken animal growled at Emmett, who was the closest to the mouth of the cave. The vampire ignored the bear's threats and gave me an expectant look, and just like that it was a competition.

_'You think you can do better?'_ The words weren't spoken, but the message was passed along regardless. I grinned back at him in acceptance of the challenge and let my insides have free reign. My left arm contorted into the familiar spiked claw, my fingers sharpening into needle-fine points at the ends. I allowed my right arm, though, to shape shift into something I hadn't used since Phoenix.

It most resembled my blade – the business end of it was a razor-sharp, dark silver dagger, which was much larger than it probably should have been. The skin on my upper arm and shoulder started to spike and form grey-colored barbs that melded back into the common red and black of my insides along the base. I gave the new appendage an experimental flick, smirking at the boneless wave it made as it lengthened and sliced into the soft earth under my feet.

Thankfully, before we left for the hunt I had the chance to take off the clothes I had been wearing today and create my faux-clothing. Both of my inhumanly-morphed arms would have obliterated the shoulders of the shirt I had been wearing instead of changing the false material along with my flesh. I wasn't sure if the Cullens could tell the difference, or if they noticed my clothing was shifting along with my body, but if they did it wasn't _so_ big of a secret that I would be hesitant to share.

I fell into a crouch of my own, flexing the talons on my left hand as the second bear shifted its focus to me. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Emmett's smug smile fall completely off of his face as a look of shock and awe replaced his confidence. I paid him no mind, though; I kept my focus on the animal I needed to consume. The bear shifted its weight onto its hind legs as it attempted to stand erect, and I took it as my cue to charge.

My hair flew back behind me as I rushed the bear like Emmett had done, my weighted arms swinging heavily as I sprinted forward. I neatly dodged the clumsy swing the bear threw at me as it roared, digging my left claw into the fuzzy stomach of the beast. Hot blood dripped down my talons as my right arm elongated and wrapped around the bear's body, digging and ripping into the thick flesh like barbed-wire where it made contact.

I was showing off a bit, I'll admit, so I didn't finish the animal off right away like I could have. Tendrils of my body mass rippled visibly in my calves as I easily lifted the bear off the ground and hurled it into the rock face like Emmett had done. The sizable animal spun through the air as my whip-like arm unraveled and he shook loose several rocks from the impact.

My bear was in much worse shape than Emmett's was from his throw, though that may have been from the multiple lacerations and stab wounds I had inflicted before I threw it. Deciding to finish it off and put the thing out of its misery, I rushed forward again and leapt into the air. My barbed-whip arm flew out toward the animal, impaling it in the spot I had ripped open with my claw.

I retracted my arm, yanking my body through the air and toward the yowling grizzly. My claw sliced its shoulder open as I gripped it tightly and the spear-end of my other arm dug deeper, exiting the bear's back and wrapping around it again, constricting it like an anaconda while the flesh shredded as if under a chainsaw.

Tendrils erupted from my body once again, converting the bear's cells and pulling them back into my body in clumps. The body broke down underneath me and the tissues ripped apart and dissolved, spilling hot blood and unusable organs around me as my limbs retracted. My eyes closed in ecstasy; I could feel the energy thrumming inside me, making me hum in appreciation of the large mass of the bear.

My hands reformed as I took a step away from the mess of bloody fur and scattered organs and tissue, the blood that covered me gradually soaking into my body and dissolving away. I looked back at the three vampires, fully prepared for the looks I knew I would be getting from them.

Alice was wide-eyed, but there didn't seem to be any fear in her expression. Emmett's face looked like it didn't know whether to be scared or excited, so it managed to shift between both. Rosalie's face was serious and set, though the trickle of fear that shined in her dark eyes was unmistakable. I rubbed the back of my neck, unsure whether or not to approach them.

"Ta-da!" I said lamely, spreading my arms out like I had finished a magic trick. And I suppose in a way I did: I made the bear disappear. Emmett let out something like a gag, though I think he was trying to laugh. He cleared his throat and stared at the chunky puddle that used to be an enormous animal.

"Dude…" Emmett trailed off. "Swan, that was amazing!" The dimpled grin finally found its way back to his face and he blurred over to me, swinging me up into one of his bear hugs – which was mildly funny, considering the meal we just shared. Rosalie hissed under her breath, but it seemed more involuntary than anything – like a fearful gasp for a human at having their significant other near such a dangerous individual.

"I thought you were going to eat it," Alice chuckled under her breath, skipping over to us as Emmett released me.

"Well, I kind of did," I shrugged. "I just didn't use my mouth to eat it." Alice opened her mouth to say something else, but Emmett interrupted her with clear excitement in his voice.

"Oh!" he exclaimed. "Bella, you _have_ to eat my bear! You can do that again, right? Even if it's dead?" I leaned around Emmett's huge frame and eyed the crumpled corpse of the bear that was already cooling rapidly. I grimaced but nodded, moving over to Emmett's kill.

My foot stomped down on the bear's neck, plowing through the spine as the hundreds of tendrils wove off of me and absorbed whatever mass was available. Once I pulled away from the bloodless pile of meat, I noticed there was a considerable amount more leftover. There wasn't much blood – obviously – but there were still entire portions of a leg or arm left, though they were flayed and eaten away like acid had been poured over it.

"Now we don't even have to bury the animals we kill!" Emmett laughed. "That's fucking awesome!" I laughed with him, more at his glee than my convenience.

"Is that safe?" Rosalie asked, speaking for the first time since I attacked the bear. "What if the virus you're carrying infects whatever comes along the leftovers?" Rosalie gestured to the carnage and I frowned at the very real possibility.

"Damn," I muttered. "You might be right; I don't want to chance it until Carlisle finishes looking over my DNA."

"I got it," Emmett sighed. "I would have had to do it anyway." He bent over next to the bits of bear and started digging into the earth with his fingers, his marble hands easily lifting large portions of dirt with each pass.

* * *

We arrived back at the mansion sometime in the late morning hours, Rosalie and Emmett heading off upstairs to clean up right away, since they had a bit of _fun_ after they were both finished hunting. Alice's attire was still immaculate, with not even a microscopic drop of blood on her – though there were several animal hairs clinging to the collar of her shirt. I followed her to the kitchen, where Esme, Edward, and Angela were cooking.

"How was the hunt?" she asked Alice as we took our seats on the breakfast bar. Angela probably could have heard the laugh Emmett let loose from up above us.

"You should have seen what Bella did to that bear, Esme!" Emmett spoke a bit quieter. "It was _fucking insane_!"

"Language!" Esme said in a raised voice, though her tone suggested it was a frequent back-and-forth battle in trying to keep the giant from cursing.

"It was good, Esme," Alice answered the question as the mother figure turned back to the stove. Edward looked at me with wide eyes, undoubtedly getting the bear's demise second hand from one of the three vampires who were there.

To his credit, Edward didn't react violently or try to shield Angela from me – even though that may have been because both Alice and he were sitting between her and me. Esme turned around and served Angela steaming hot pancakes with a glass of orange juice, earning a 'thanks Esme' from Edward's mate as the girl dug into her breakfast.

"Are you able to eat human food?" Alice asked me suddenly, drawing my attention from the plate of hotcakes I hadn't realized I had been staring at. I shook my head.

"No. And the only thing I can drink is water, but even that's a bit uncomfortable."

"Eww," Angela scrunched up her nose. "You're not seriously going to talk about throwing up food while I'm trying to eat, are you?" It took me a moment to realize she was joking, and I smirked at her over-acted grimace.

"I don't usually vomit if I eat something I can't digest," I continued the topic. "It just sort of diffuses out of my skin in clumps." I pursed my lips together at the pale shade of green that went across her face and made it difficult for her to swallow.

"I did not need to know that," Angela put her hand over her mouth as she finished chewing and took a large gulp of her orange juice. "Ugh." Alice giggled and pulled me away from the bar.

"Let's leave the human to eat in peace," she jested as we walked out of the room and toward the staircase. "We have to have a serious talk about how your attire can magically regenerate – and don't even pretend it didn't! I pay attention to these things, you know." I grumbled to myself as we ascended the staircase, ignoring the low moaning coming from Emmett's and Rosalie's door.

* * *

**End notes:** Sorry for the late-night update, even though I'm not really sorry at all. I've been playing _[Prototype]_ again; I figured I might as well, since I was writing a crossover (in spirit, at least; not officially).

Yes, I like to base any and all character powers on realism as much as I can. A viral monster who can shape shift and absorb the mass of others through infection and absorption? Sounds acceptable. Having that character have the ability to glide through the air without wings or some telekinetic ability? Unreasonable. The gliding mechanic was put in the game to make maneuvering around NYC easier for the player, not to add to the realism. Game mechanics have no place here in story land.

Can Bella use the armor ability? I am certainly not saying no. That probably means yes (but not officially yes).

And yes, Bella is probably going to lose her shit once the results of the tests come back from Carlisle. You won't be disappointed, I am pretty sure of that.

Until we meet again...


	11. People Puddles

_{_

_I screamed as a huge monster barreled into where Bella was just standing. It was hunched over and ran on all fours, but the overly-developed muscles in its chest and front legs indicated it was more than capable of fighting on two legs. It screamed as it smashed into a derelict car, tossing it aside like it was made of tin foil and rushing back, slashing at my daughter._

_My heart was racing and I was shaking as I hid behind a dumpster, but I couldn't take my eyes off of Bella – and I certainly couldn't run. Bullets whistled by, embedding into a nearby wall and making me duck out of instinct. I gripped the rusted edge of the dumpster as she sliced cleanly through the beast, blurring away from the gunmen who focused their fire on her now that she had killed the infected monster._

_I heard footsteps running on the sidewalk and I put my back against the wall, hiding myself completely from view of the street. A radio crackled as the footsteps slowed, heading out into the street and away from my hiding spot._

"Anyone have eyes on Eve?"

"Negative; I think we lost her."

_A hand clamped over my mouth and I jerked, stopping only as my eyes landed on the hooded face of Bella. She removed her hand and motioned for me to follow her out of the other end of the alley._

_}_

**-Chapter 11: People Puddles-**

"What about…_this_ one?" Alice asked, pointing to a ridiculous dress in a magazine full of ridiculous dresses.

"How many more dresses are you going to have me model?" I asked as the skirt and blouse I was wearing shifted into the gown on the page Alice held up.

We had been up here for hours, and since neither one of us ever had to eat or use the restroom and never got tired, Alice had spent each and every second exploiting my shape shifting abilities for her own amusement. She had stacks of fashion magazines to choose from, and I often had to shift the colors of the false fabric I wore just to satisfy her.

The process was _boring_, and I originally thought she might have known this and was only doing it to annoy me. Only, she wasn't; she just had some sort of sick fetish for clothes shopping and found my abilities convenient. I honestly wasn't sure which scenario I was more comfortable with.

"Only a few more seasons," Alice promised, as if the thought of shifting into that many outfits would be comforting to me. "Winter, Spring, and Summer." I held up my hand, the dress I was wearing dissolving under the red-and-black cluster of tendrils and reforming into jeans and a black t-shirt.

"No; no more. I honestly think _shopping_ with you would be more fun," I cringed at my own words, but they still rang true. "At least then I would get to move around and _do_ stuff." Alice rolled her eyes and tossed the magazine she had been holding onto her couch.

"Well then what do you want to-" Alice's eyes glazed over, smothering her sentence as she went into a trance. I remembered her talking about her visions, and I had seen a few of them in action, but none that took more than a second or two to complete.

Confusion and fear swam in her freshly-golden eyes as they refocused on the present. Her body was frozen in place for only a moment before she flitted out of the room at vampire speed, her light footsteps peddling out of my hearing range as they ascended the stairs.

"Alice?" I asked in a raised voice, following her path out of her room and up to the third floor. Edward and Angela stepped out of the room I knew to be Edward's bedroom and gave me a questioning glance as they went down the hall and through the last door on the left. I followed them inside the room I had never been in and was immediately distracted by the absurdity of it.

If Carlisle's office was a mini-library, the room we entered would be a fully-fledged one. It was over twice the size of the vampire doctor's fortress of solitude, and had laptops and desktops lying about on the multiple hardwood tables in the center of the room. This room, I also noticed, was the only one without a wall made of glass. It had more conservative windows where the giant panes would have been, letting in dim streams of overcast light.

Alice stood behind one of the bookshelves, staring at a flat screen TV mounted on the wall with the remote frozen in her hand. The three of us swarmed around her and looked at the screen, wondering what could have given the tiny vampire such a shock.

The news channel was on, and my gut clenched at the words 'BREAKING NEWS' that accompanied the helicopter shot of a cityscape, shifting every few seconds to an on-the-ground camera angle of men in yellow containment suits as they taped off the area that was guarded by armed men in non-distinguished, full masked gear. The sight was completely familiar to me and to everyone else who had followed the nightmare that was the Phoenix attacks, only it wasn't Phoenix this time.

It was Tacoma.

_"Not only is it a matter of distance, it's also one of improbability!"_ a gravely male voice said, clearly in the middle of a conversation with someone back in the newsroom. _"We're talking about a single attack over a thousand miles away from Phoenix. There have been _no_ other sightings or incidents between the two cities – all of it was contained in Arizona. It's preposterous to even _begin_ to call it the same type of attack with such a lack of evidence – all that's going to accomplish is panic."_

The screen flashed back to the newsroom, where the serious-looking male and female anchor team warned the audience that the next scenes would be graphic. None of us turned away, though; I wasn't convinced any of us _could_.

There was a lot of blood. It covered everything and was splattered nearly everywhere as the screenshots shifted to get a different view of the crime scene, which was cliché enough to be a dirty-looking alley. Chunks of meat were concentrated in several blood pools on the pavement, turning it a dark cherry color. Smaller bits of flesh were strewn about and plastered to the walls like a bomb went off.

There was no bomb, though, even though the dumpster was dented and the car that had partially obstructed the entryway to the alley was smashed and flipped upside down. It was so, _so_, familiar; like a piece of Phoenix had somehow switched with a part of Tacoma. And I knew, then, that the voice on the news was completely wrong. This _was_ the same thing – somehow, the infection had reached Washington.

"Oh god," Angela breathed from behind me. I had nearly forgotten she and Edward were here with us. "Is that…is it the same thing as Phoenix?" Alice turned away from the screen and looked at me, frowning as she caught the grim look on my face. I turned around and nodded.

"I think so," I confirmed.

"But how?" Edward asked, pulling Angela closer to him. "They're right: it's completely impractical for the infection to have traveled so far without leaving a trail." He sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than me, so I didn't try to argue with him.

His logic was sound, of course; it _would_ have been a stretch to claim the virus had escaped from Phoenix and came here. The safeguards I dodged were there for a reason, after all, and it was one hell of a gauntlet for _anything_ to make it out of Arizona, much less Phoenix.

But then again, I had made it out without anyone catching me. My teeth grinded as I pondered the possibility of one of those mutated creatures escaping, free to roam and infect the country.

"There's going to be another attack," Alice said, her eyes distant and clouded-over. "I can't see when or where," she growled and shook her head. "But there's going to be more news coverage like this – I can see us watching it."

"How do we even know it was something from Phoenix?" Angela asked, keeping her eyes on the screen. She broke eye contact with it and glanced at Edward. "Couldn't it have been a vampire or something?"

"There was too much blood," Edward sighed and shook his head. "There still might have been…_pieces_, but most of the blood would have been drained."

"It wasn't one of us," Alice shook her head and gave me an apologetic look. "But it did resemble the way you feed, Bella. I know it wasn't you but it _was_ something like you." Edward hissed and my muscles bunched in response, though I managed to keep myself from falling into a defensive stance.

"Carlisle needs to hurry up with Bella's DNA analysis," Edward pinched the bridge of his nose. "If this thing keeps on killing like this, we need to know how to kill it – what its weaknesses are."

"Why?" I gave Edward a questioning look. "It's one attack so far, and not nearly as violent as Phoenix. It shouldn't be much work for the military to take out one of those monsters." Edward stepped away from Angela and pursed his lips as he paced in front of me.

"Because of all the places something like _you_ could have gone," Edward spoke slowly, locking his golden eyes with my brown ones. "It came _here_, to Washington. That would be one _hell_ of a coincidence, Bella." He gave a quick glance at his girlfriend. "And I've learned not to underestimate an opponent, so if there's anything you know that works against your kind, please tell us."

I stared at him for a moment, both angry at the insinuation that I was the same _kind_ as those brutes that stalked Phoenix and worried that he might be right. It _was_ quite the coincidence that something infected came to Washington shortly after I did – if it was, in fact, an infected beast. I couldn't wrap my head around the idea of something following me, but it was what it was, and Edward was right. They did need to know how to fight an infected off.

"They are…strong," I started. "You already know that, of course. I don't think we're dealing with those mindless zombies they show on the news all the time. They're dangerous to humans in numbers, sure, but they're no more a threat to you as a human is.

"The other one – the hunters – they're like some kind of mutated bear on steroids." I paused, remembering the beasts as they attacked the tanks the soldiers brought in to clear out the more concentrated portions of the infection that had nested inside the city. "They're smarter and faster than the zombies, and they usually attack in groups of two or three. Your best bet is your speed, honestly; there's no way one of them could catch you."

"Shouldn't we wait for the others to come back to have this conversation?" Angela asked as Alice pulled out her phone and started typing into it.

"Rosalie and Emmett won't be back until tonight," Alice answered, pocketing the phone. "I left Carlisle a message, but he's in surgery and won't be back for over an hour. Esme will be here in a few minutes." Angela nodded.

"What about the wolves?" Angela spoke up again. "We should warn them about this." Edward and Alice hissed under their breath, and I mentally agreed with their response.

"No doubt those mutts have already heard about the attack," Edward muttered through his teeth.

"It's a legitimate concern, actually," I made a face as I argued in favor of warning the Quileute tribe. "While I don't think vampires have to worry about getting infected, anyone with a pulse _does_ have to. A single scrape is enough to do it, and it kills more often than it turns people into zombies."

"They don't ever get sick though," Angela frowned. "And didn't you say you fought some of the wolves when they confronted you?" My eyes widened as the memory of my blade slicing into the chest of the brown wolf flitted through my mind.

"Is he…" I trailed off and Angela shook her head.

"No," Angela assured me. "I was at Emily's house on Wednesday and the whole pack was there. They didn't particularly like you," Edward snorted, obviously finding something in Angela's memory humorous. "but you didn't infect any of them, as far as I know."

"Well that's something, at least," I sighed.

* * *

"It feels warm," Angela said to herself as she rubbed the fabric of my bio-hoodie I had shifted into for the trip to Port Angeles. "Kind of like when clothes come out of the dryer." She blushed and released her hold on my sleeve as she caught my amused expression.

"Relax," I rolled my eyes as I leaned back in my seat. "You're nowhere near as bad as Alice, and I mean that in more ways than one." Angela smiled and popped another few fries into her mouth.

Alice had dragged the three of us to the mall to go shopping. I had begun to argue my case against such an act, but Angela told her she wouldn't mind going, deflating any case I could make against going. It was actually not so bad with Edward's girlfriend here. It was a welcome distraction from the subtle panic the news had given everyone.

Before, Alice would go full tilt as she bounded from section to section since neither of us really got tired and could potentially shop for days if we felt the need to. Angela required bathroom, food, and rest breaks every hour or so, which broke up the shopping frenzy into manageable sections. Normally, Alice would sit out with us for a few minutes while Angela composed herself, but this time the pixie-vampire decided to finish up the last few stores on this side of the food court while we took our break.

Sitting here and watching the crowds of people passing by was actually kind of soothing. It was dark outside and the mall would be closing in an hour, but there were still swarms of people out and about. Christmas was in less than two weeks, and the festive decorations were sprinkled around the mall walkway, giving it a sort of half-assed attempt at holiday cheer.

"If you don't like shopping, why did you come with us?" Angela asked, drawing my attention away from a group of women who were struggling to juggle the heavy bags full of their purchases as they walked in the direction of the exit. I shrugged.

"To torture myself, mostly," I joked, earning a small snort from Angela as she balled up her trash and tossed it in the trash can that was right next to our table. "I like hanging out with Alice, and I also wanted to see Edward's reaction when I volunteered to go with you guys." Angela giggled and shook her head.

"I thought he was actually going to come with us after you said you were going," she said as she pushed her glasses back up on her face. "He's still a bit overprotective."

"A bit?" I cocked an eyebrow.

"I can see where he's coming from, even though most of the time he overreacts," Angela frowned, her eyes unfocused as she remembered some memory.

"So why doesn't he just turn you into a vampire, then?" I asked, though I had already heard most of the story from Alice. "He wouldn't have to worry if you were indestructible." Angela's eyes bugged and she gave a quick glance around the mostly-deserted food court as if someone had overheard me say the v-word.

"I want to be one; I asked him to change me," Angela ran her hands through her hair like she was embarrassed. "But he's very…determined to keep me human." She made a face, clearly unhappy with Edward's decision.

"Angela said you two were mates?" I asked; Angela nodded. "So what's going to happen when you die?" Angela blanched, and I instantly knew the answer to my question.

"He said he wouldn't live without me," she cringed down at the table top.

"How…morbid," I said awkwardly. "Why don't you just ask Carlisle to bite you, then?"

"He said it was between Edward and me," Angela rolled her eyes and I snorted at how crazy that sounded.

"What is Edward, your keeper?" I snarked. "I bet I could find a vampire and hold him down so he could take a bite out of you." Angela laughed, but I could still see how excited my offer made her.

"He would be _pissed_!" Angela said with a grin.

"Yeah, but what could he _do_ about it?" I shrugged, imagining an enraged Edward trying to kill me as a vampire Angela looked on. "It's your life, Angela." The sound of Angela's phone chiming brought an end to the talk of vampire transformations, and she stood up as she read the message.

"Alice needs our help carrying bags out to the car," Angela told me, wrinkling her nose. I was sure my face looked much the same.

"What did she do, buy the whole store?" I joked as I stood up as well, following Angela as she headed in the direction Alice had gone when she left us.

"Don't even joke that way," Angela shook her head as I easily caught up with her.

As it turned out, Alice did not buy the whole store. She did put a pretty significant dent in their inventory, though, if the fifteen bags were anything to go by. I grabbed up seven of the heavier bags and Alice snagged five, leaving the lightest ones for Angela to lug back to the car. Even with the extra help carrying Alice's spoils, we got a few looks as we headed out of the mall and into the parking lot.

After we put the majority of the bags in the trunk of Alice's Porsche – the rest going into the backseat with Angela – we climbed in and Alice took off. About five miles into the drive, Alice tossed me a small cardboard box. I looked down at it, noticing the silver apple logo embossed on the sleek black cover, and gaped at the vampire.

She _couldn't_ be serious.

"You got me a phone?" I asked, my voice wavering between disbelief and accusation. Alice only grinned and nodded.

"You're welcome!" she chirped. Angela snickered under her breath and I shot her a glare as I put the box in the cupholder between Alice and me.

"I'm not taking this," I told her directly.

"Why not?" she asked. "Do you already have a cell phone?" Alice asked like she already knew the answer, which she most probably did.

"No…" I trailed off.

"Well, now you do," Alice rolled her eyes at me as I prepared to go on the defensive. "Just take the damn phone, Bella. It's important that you're always able to contact one of us while this Tacoma business is going on, not to mention Victoria. All our numbers are programmed in already and it's on the family's plan; all you have to do is keep it on you."

"But I can't keep it on me," I countered. "I can't even wear a watch, since it would snap off as soon as I shifted. How do you expect me to keep from breaking it?"

"Put it in your backpack or keep it in your truck," Alice huffed and shook her head. "I swear it's like pulling teeth trying to give you a gift."

"Fine," I admitted defeat, opening up the box and taking the iPhone out of the casing. It was actually a very nice looking cell phone, and I found myself smiling to myself as I powered it on and began to set it up.

"Baby steps," Alice nodded to herself. I cast her a questioning look as I finished the setup and began to install some worthwhile apps. "We'll work our way up to a new car." I narrowed my eyes at her, trying to decide if the wide smile on her face was a good thing or bad thing and if she was joking or not.

The car started to drift into the other lane and I snapped my hand out to grab the wheel, turning it back and correcting our path. Alice's eyes were glazed over as I continued to steer for her and Angela shifted forward in the back seat, giving the vampire a panicked look.

"Alice?" I asked. Her eyes re-focused and she shook her head, taking back the wheel and giving me a thankful look. I nodded to her and sat back in my seat. "What did you see?"

"Absolutely nothing," she growled. "Which means those damn mutts are involved, somehow." A vibrating buzz came from the back seat, followed by the harsh illumination of a cell phone screen lighting up.

"Edward said the wolves want us to meet at the treaty line," Angela read out loud. "Do you think it's about the Tacoma attack?" I looked at Alice, but she only shrugged. She was completely blind when it came to the wolves, especially with me involved.

"I guess we'll find out," Alice answered, switching off the headlights and pressing her foot down on the gas pedal, speeding back to the Cullen mansion.

* * *

**End notes:** A little late on the update, but I had stuff to do. I know you understand.

It's not exactly pertinent to the story, but we'll say Bella's infected with Blacklight, for those of you who are crazy about _Prototype_. And yes, she does have a considerable mass (though it, of course, tends to fluctuate depending on how long it's been since she fed).

Renee's POV at the beginning of each chapter was intentional, and I am glad you liked it.

As for how strong Bella's senses are, I made a neat little percentage chart before I started writing, so I could stay consistent (percentages are compared to vampires).

Speed: 80%, acceleration: 25%, strength: 175%, durability: 25%, regeneration: 250%, hearing: 50%, smell: 25%, sight: 150%, endurance: 100% (practically infinite).

Bella can also see more of the electromagnetic spectrum than vampires can (ultraviolet and infrared). Since so many of her memories were trashed, she can't reliably compare her sight now to her sight then, but she's able to see heat signatures as well, which is what gives her sight stats such a boost over vampires.


	12. Reality

_{_

_I flinched as the front door to the apartment opened abruptly, revealing Bella carrying a paper bag. She closed the door and headed over to me, placing the bag on the coffee table in front of me. My stomach growled and I dug out the canned food she had brought back with her._

_The packaged sausages might as well have been a sizzling steak, for all I cared. It had been over a day since I had eaten anything. I downed the meat juice that remained inside the metal tin; the lukewarm, slimy liquid went down my dry throat surprisingly easily._

_Bella took the leftover garbage away from the table as I grabbed the warm bottle of water – the tap wasn't safe, she had told me, and I didn't argue with her. My eyes caught her face as I took a long pull from the bottle, her gaze focused on the nearly-dead cell phone on the seat of the couch._

_"He still hasn't called you back," Bella said, her voice coming out as a statement of fact and not a question. I shook my head anyway. "I'm sorry, mom." Tears leaked out of the corners of my eyes._

_"He could still be alive out there," I swallowed against the lump in my throat. Bella nodded, but I couldn't miss the grim look on her face._

_}_

**-Chapter 12: Reality-**

I trailed behind the family of vampires as we rocketed past the maze of trees and moved in the direction of the coast. My nose – though not as sensitive as a vampire's – was able to pick up the clean, salty scent of the pacific with each meter we traveled. I couldn't help the smile that crossed my face at the pleasant aroma – it was easy to tell the air was less toxic here than it was in Phoenix.

Alice ran by my side, keeping up effortlessly with me as she let the other members of her family speed ahead of us. I couldn't hear or see them anymore, but the thrashing particles in the air that were pulled forward from the supernatural speed were easy to follow, as were the settling bits of mud and debris that formed the light footprints in the forest floor.

Rosalie's face was drawn up into a grimace of unhidden disgust as Alice and I arrived at what appeared to be a random spot in the forest. The others' faces were also drawn, though more restrained than the blonde vampire's crystal clear distain. Angela maneuvered around Edward, squinting in my direction, clearly unable to make me out in the dead of night.

The sight of her here painted a frown on my face. She was the epitome of normal in the presence of the supernatural and I couldn't help but ask myself what I was doing here, so far away from the normal life I had wanted to emulate. I hadn't really had any time with my father since I came here – my life went from running from zombies and men with guns to associating with vampires.

For the tiniest moment, I understood Edward's reluctance to turn Angela into a vampire. The normality – the intrinsic innocence that the everyday people of this world lived with – was on the brink of being completely stripped away. The drama and the fear that came with associating with mythical creatures had already left its mark on her, but she was still human – still subscribed to the mortal world and its society.

It was a heavy, fleeting thought that was washed away as Alice stepped up beside me, her spiked hair only coming up to my nose as the void-like chill radiated off her skin and hit mine. Normal wasn't everything, and if it weren't for the abnormal I would have never had the chance to meet Alice and the Cullens – although I could do without _some_ supernatural creatures.

Coincidentally, the Cullens froze in place for half a second, signaling the coming of our hosts for the evening. The soft thudding of footfalls arrived only seconds before the sight of five shirtless werewolves, jogging up cautiously to our group in their human form. I pursed my lips in amusement as I realized the hotheaded Paul was not among them; I wondered if his absence was his call or Sam's.

"Sam," Carlisle spoke at normal volume, even though the wolves had halted far enough away to consider them completely separate from us. Sam nodded back, but he certainly didn't look happy.

"Carlisle," Sam greeted with a tense voice, his eyes flitting to me and back to the Cullen patriarch. "I see Jacob was right when he told us Bella is associating with your _family_." He bit out the word 'family' like a curse and I narrowed my eyes at the pack leader.

"Yes," Carlisle nodded. "She became aware of us as we discovered she wasn't human." His answer was curt and to the point, though free of the barely-restrained hostility that leaked from the Quileute.

"We spotted two leeches inside our territory yesterday," Sam changed the topic abruptly, getting to the point. "We destroyed one of them, but the other got away."

"No," Edward shook his head at the pack. "We didn't know them." The bronze-haired vampire frowned as his eyes strayed above the wolves' eyes.

"Edward?" Carlisle prompted.

"From their thoughts, I believe the vampires the wolves came across were newborns." At the mention of 'newborns,' the Cullens seemed to frown all at once, all caught on the same unknown thought.

"Newborn?" Jacob spoke up from Sam's right, his face screwed up like the Cullens had been talking in Japanese.

"A newborn is a newly created vampire," Carlisle explained. "They're feral and completely driven by their instincts for the first year or so, and are much stronger than a mature vampire. In any case, Edward is right; we had no knowledge of any other vampires in the area other than Victoria."

"Are you sure one of them wasn't her?" Angela asked the wolves, her voice raising with hopefulness.

"No, sorry," one of the wolves I hadn't met answered. "Would have been hard to miss her red hair." Angela nodded and leaned back against Edward.

The back and forth went on for a few minutes more, both sides taking turns asking questions and sharing information about Victoria and the two vampires that were sighted in the reservation. Allowances were made for the wolves to patrol Forks in small numbers to keep the chances of the redhead getting to Angela lower.

I started to think my presence here at the meeting was unneeded as Carlisle explained to the wolves that they were lucky they managed to kill the newborn without any casualties; newborns tended to fight much differently than the adult vampires the wolves had killed before. A small glance from Sam to me as the mini-lesson was winding down drew my attention, and I waited for the obvious question to be asked.

"Carlisle," Sam spoke. "What do you make of the attack in Tacoma? Do you think it was a vampire attack?" The way his eyes slid over to my spot and back alerted me that he very much knew it wasn't a vampire attack. I let out a breath as Carlisle pursed his lips.

I think we both knew what Sam was thinking – probably as well as Edward knew, I would bet. I couldn't blame him for jumping to the conclusion that I was the one responsible for the Tacoma attack that was broadcast on the news; after all I _had_ confessed to killing people to survive in the past. I admired his tact, though – however weak it was – he didn't outright accuse me of killing those people in Tacoma to my face.

"We don't believe it was a vampire, no," Carlisle shook his head.

"What, then?" Sam pried. I rolled my eyes.

"It was something like me," I spoke up. "We think." I amended, since I hadn't actually _witnessed_ the attack.

I took the time to go over some of the things I had covered with Edward, Angela, and Alice about the larger type of infected. I emphasized their physical strength and tendency to move in small packs, but skimmed over the few weaknesses they – and I – had, like their sluggishness in comparison to vampires. It wasn't that I wanted whatever was in Tacoma to _kill_ the wolves, it was that I didn't trust them not to use my advice to try to kill _me_.

Carlisle didn't comment or add to my redacted lesson, nor did any of the others, and after a little over an hour we adjourned the meeting and promised to keep in contact should something else occur. My shoulders drooped as I turned around and meandered away from the retreating wolves, who had taken off into the thicker parts of the forest to transform before they headed back to La Push.

I instinctively froze as I heard the soft footsteps of someone behind me. Cold, hard arms wrapped around my neck and someone's body pressed against my back, clutching on with a vice grip. The mass in my body squirmed and dropped, filling my calves as my legs bunched and I launched off the ground, trying to buck off the attacker. Whoever it was gasped behind me as we soared up at least three stories and scraped against an evergreen tree.

Branches snapped and groaned as our combined bodies started to plummet back to earth. The arms around me loosened and I grabbed the shoulders of the attacker over my head, clamping down and tossing them away from me as I impacted with the ground. A shrill scream faded gradually as whoever attacked me flew away and bounced off the trees in the distance.

My primitive, hive brain seemed to be in control as I crouched defensively, shifting my right arm into the four-foot blade and allowing my left hand to flow into its natural, adaptive state of writhing and pulsing tendrils. The rest of my body was alive and moving as well; the red and black vines weaving about on my torso and legs. I faced forward, toward the trail of broken forest where I had thrown the attacker, and froze in place.

A wide-eyed Alice Cullen darted back through the path of destruction, her clothes torn and frayed with green smears and pieces of bracken in her hair. Her face was apologetic and shocked and her posture was nonthreatening, allowing control to return to the more active portions of my mind as I shifted out of the crouch and stood erect. My limbs melted back into their normal, human shape, and the tendrils dissolved away, leaving me completely normal looking.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see the Cullens frozen in place, watching me intently. Edward was the only one crouched, the fingers of his hands extended at his sides as he shielded his girlfriend who peered out from behind him. Angela's face was as pale as a vampire's, and at that moment I had forgotten that not everyone had seen my more frightening abilities. Edward, Esme, and Angela had never witnessed them first hand.

"Bella?" Alice asked, holding her hands at her side to show she wasn't a threat.

"Alice," I returned, staring at her like she lost her mind. "What the hell was that? You don't just _attack_ someone from behind like that!" The way I waved my hands about to illustrate my point must have been comical, at least to Emmett, who chuckled under his breath. I shot him a quick glare, but the exchange seemed to dissolve the tense atmosphere.

"I am _so_ sorry," Alice said sheepishly, moving closer and letting out a breath. "I had no idea you would react like that." I frowned, wondering what she _had_ expected.

"What were you even trying to do?" I asked, glancing around and noticing that most of the others had left, leaving only us and Angela and Edward, the latter two talking quietly several meters away.

"A piggy back ride," she answered under her breath. I opened my mouth to reply, but couldn't think of anything to say. A piggy back ride? "Sorry again, Bella," Alice sighed, taking a step away from me and toward the mansion. I shook my head and darted in front of her, turning my back.

"Get on, then," I told her. When she didn't say anything or make a move to climb onto my back, I looked over my shoulder. "Well, come on." Hesitantly, Alice climbed onto my back and re-wrapped her arms around my neck. "Just make sure you ask next time you want to something strange and childish," I jested as I took off running in the direction we came from.

Alice's arms tightened reflexively from the sudden burst of speed and she laughed, the vibrations of her diaphragm felt clearly from her chest pressed up against my back. We ran through the forest, her weight shifting and her grip increasing each time I leapt over a fallen tree or dodged around thick shrubbery.

On a whim, I leaped up into the tree tops and began weaving back and forth along the branches, springing off of the trunks if there wasn't a branch to touch down on. My movements were choppy as I vaulted toward the mansion from our elevated position; back in Phoenix I had often traveled from rooftop to rooftop, but never is such quick succession. Luckily, I kept my balance the whole way to the Cullens' front yard, where I landed with a heavy thud.

"That was _amazing_!" Alice beamed at me after she detangled herself from my back, no longer apologetic about pouncing onto me earlier.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it?" the words came out like a question as I chuckled. "You're _way_ faster than I am, Alice; I don't see how you can find it so _amazing_." I shook my head at her.

"Well, I'll just have to give _you_ a piggy back ride, then," Alice nodded to herself. "Then you can see for yourself."

A laugh bubbled out of my throat before I could muffle it as I visualized my 5'4"frame fastened to Alice's 4'10" one, sprinting through the forest looking completely ridiculous.

"Sure," I conceded, heading up to the front door of Alice's house with her trailing behind me.

* * *

I flipped through the English book that was assigned to each Senior, trying to pass the lull that seemed to stretch minutes into hours as I sat at my desk. The weekend had gone by all too quickly, and had been mildly surprised by the final exams that were to be done today and tomorrow, the last days of class until we were released for winter break. I hadn't forgotten the holidays, but the more mundane details of my life seemed to be blurred and faded in comparison to running around with vampires and, occasionally, werewolves.

The page turned to a story by Natalie Babbitt, and I smirked at the title: _Tuck Everlasting_. The smirk morphed into a frown as I recalled the bits and pieces of the story I remembered. I couldn't remember when or where I had read the book – or if I even had – but I knew most of the story's plot. A girl discovers a family of immortals and wrestles with her fear of death, not sure whether to drink from the fountain of eternal life or not. I flipped through the pages mechanically, not really absorbing anything I read.

_Would I ever die?_

The question, I think, had been brewing inside my mind ever since I met the Cullens and discovered what they were. Before, when the only 'things' out there were regular human beings and the infected, it had been a non-issue – the concept of immortality had never even crossed my mind. But it was something to think about now.

I had been shot at and mauled by those vicious creatures in Phoenix. My body had been beaten and tossed into concrete and steel, and I always recovered. The rate at which I healed was like something out of the _X-Men_, but did that also translate to agelessness?

Would I still be here two hundred years from now? A thousand? Or would this virus burn out and consume me completely like a broken fever? I let my thoughts die out as the bell rang, closing my book and packing up my stuff to get ready for the next class.

The rest of the day passed in alternating intervals of speeding and slowing periods of time, and I was dreading another day of mindless tests. On my way to my truck, Alice intercepted me and grabbed my hand, pulling me toward her yellow Porsche, which hadn't been there at the beginning of the day. I gave her a questioning look, but allowed her to tow me along.

"What's up, Alice?" I asked.

"Carlisle has the results from your DNA tests," Alice told me with a straight face. My eyebrows shot up.

"Oh," I replied. "That was kind of fast. Don't these tests take several weeks to come back?" Alice nodded.

"Yes, usually; but Carlisle did them himself, of course, and he has a lot of free time at night," Alice opened up the passenger side door and gestured for me to get in. "And I figured you'd want to see them as quickly as possible." I smiled and nodded, climbing into the sleek car.

"What about my truck?" I asked.

"Emmett or I will take it back to your house," Alice shrugged. "Or ours." I nodded and sat back, stewing in my anxiety and nervousness as Alice tore out of the parking lot and headed for the Cullen mansion.

"Go on in," Alice told me once she parked the car in the driveway. "He's waiting for you up in his office. Let me know how it goes?" I shot her a questioning look.

"You're not coming?" I asked. She shook her head.

"No. Patient-doctor confidentiality, and all that," Alice sighed. I nodded and headed inside.

"Bella," Carlisle greeted me from behind his desk as I entered the office. Esme wasn't home, either, and I felt a little uncomfortable in that I had basically kicked her out of her own home for a few hours. "Have a seat."

"Give it to me straight, doc," I jested halfheartedly as I sat down, trying to lighten the mood. My would-be stomach was churning like I was about to go to the dentist.

"Well, there is quite a bit to cover," Carlisle flipped open a pad of paper and sat it on the desk. "I suppose I could cover how contagious you are first; would that be alright?" I nodded and sat back in my seat, forcing my insides to remain calm.

"Using the sample you provided me with, I introduced multiple human and animal blood and tissue samples. None of these tests produced any results and there was no reaction that I could see.

"This was puzzling, so I looked over the analysis of your DNA. It is mostly viral in nature, but your DNA was unable to infect or even incubate inside the dead tissue. I'll admit I felt a bit stupid after I connected the dots; of course a virus would need _living_ tissue to infect, and so I went about procuring a living specimen to test." Carlisle looked a bit uncomfortable at his admission.

"A test specimen?" I pried. He nodded and flipped a page in the notebook.

"A rabbit," he explained. "Even days after being separated from you, your DNA completely consumed the rabbit's in a matter of seconds, converting all of the cells in its body into a sort of…derivative of its own cells, which the viral particles promptly assimilated. As far as I can tell, the cells of the organisms you consume are converted into a sort of malleable fuel. Your entire body is made up of these two components."

"But what about infecting something and not consuming it?" I asked.

"I tested that as well," Carlisle answered. "I separated the protein coats that make up the shell of your viral biology and added them to another rabbit. Small numbers of the virus ingested did absolutely nothing, though the same amount added via injection or breathed in caused a complete infection in a matter of hours – less, depending on the number of protein coats given."

"How many rabbits did you kill?" I asked, my eyes bugging out of my face.

"More than I would care to," Carlisle pursed his lips, though I could see the faintest hint of a smile. "In any case, I can say with certainty that, unless your body is blown apart and the particles somehow drift inside someone's lungs, blood contact is the only means of infection."

"I cut one of the wolves," I said immediately. Carlisle nodded.

"I don't know much of their physiology, but I do know that those with the ability to transform hardly ever get sick. Their temperature runs much higher than yours does and their bodies appear to be able to fight off your virus. That's not to say they _couldn't_ be infected – I cannot say that for sure without samples from them as well – but I am saying it would be _more_ difficult to infect them, since their immune system would kill off the infection before it took root."

"What about its lifespan?" I asked. "Is there any way to kill off the virus and cure me?" Carlisle sighed and reached under his desk, presenting me with the jar he collected my sample with.

"The virus is fast growing," Carlisle answered. "The mass consumed and used as fuel for it is the only thing that is burned, so to speak. I added pieces of a freshly killed rabbit, as well as a live one, as the virus count of the sample began to drop off. But, as soon as the fresh meat was introduced, the virus began to multiply again. As far as I can tell, the virus – and you, by extension – can live indefinitely, so long as there is material to fuel the virus."

"So why can't you just make an antivirus?" I asked. "You have the samples – I can give you more if you need some." Carlisle shook his head and closed the notebook, rubbing his face in a very human-like way.

"There is so much I don't understand about that sample," Carlisle mused. "I could spend the next decade examining it and still have more to learn, but there is one thing I am certain of, Bella.

"I cannot cure you of the virus. I ran tests on the DNA composition of the combined sample – both the virus and the biomass – and the results came back with _Sylvilagus floridanus_; cottontail rabbit. I tried again with a surplus of Squirrel DNA, and the composition changed to a hybrid of both. I added more squirrel, and the composition neared ninety percent squirrel."

"I don't understand," I gripped the edge of the desk.

"A human is transformed into a vampire through venom, which changes the human DNA to vampire DNA. But there's still a clear trail from the vampire to the human, as there is a relationship with a function and its derivative. The virus you…" Carlisle dropped off. "There is no such link between human DNA and the DNA you possess at this moment; it is interchangeable but cannot _change_ a human into your species."

"I don't understand," I repeated robotically, my grip on the desk tightening. "What are you saying?"

"You are not infected with the virus. You _are_ the virus, and have always been. You have never been a human." Carlisle said the last bit slowly, but I could already feel my head shaking in defiance.

"No," I said. "No. I remember who I am – I have memories…" I cut off and looked down, remembering all the people I had killed. Their thoughts still swam inside my mind, as vivid as my own. Movies I had never seen and places I had never gone.

"You are not Isabella Swan, technically," Carlisle said in a delicate voice. "You never have been. She was consumed by the virus like everything else, and somehow her body was reconstructed and her memories were absorbed."

"No…" I whispered, the wood of the desk splintering in my fingers.

"I understand how…devastating this information must be, but I thought you had the right to know," Carlisle whispered. My breathing sped up and I could feel my insides writhing.

"No!" I shouted, slamming my fists down on the desk and completely obliterating the antique, sending splinters in every direction. The floor cracked and Carlisle shot up out of his seat, moving backward as he put his hands out in a non-threatening gesture.

_I have to get out!_

My body moved on its own, rushing through the pane of glass with speed I had never reached before. The shards of glass bounced away and scattered on the grass outside as my momentum carried me toward the river. My feet touched down hard on the damp soil and I was in motion again, blurring into the green forest without a conscious direction as I tried to force all the thoughts out of my head.

I smashed through trees as the red and black tendrils writhed on the outside of my body, but I didn't bother to conceal them or will them into a shape. I let myself go completely and howled as I ran, my bounds beginning to grow in size as I soared above the canopy and hurtled back toward the earth.

_Who am I?_

* * *

**End notes:** Sorry about the nearly-two-weeks gap in updates. It happens.

So, anyway, the proverbial shit will hit the metaphoric fan next chapter, so be sure to bring a bib when you get that next email update. I'm not saying Bella is going to kill a lot of people or anything, but yes, lives will be lost.


	13. Twisted Metal

_{_

_A scraping, dragging sound drew my attention, and I put down my book to focus on whatever was making the noise. My stomach rumbled and I clenched the muscles in my torso, trying to stamp out the gurgling that seemed to reverberate around the open space of the factory I was in._

_Abruptly, the side door burst open and a writhing, gooey…thing fell through the doorway. I shrieked and nearly fell over the box I was sitting on in my haste to get away, but as my arms were flailing as I tried to regain my balance, I realized it was Bella._

_She looked…dead. Her right leg was torn off and there were gouges and tears nearly everywhere I could see. She leaked a tar-like fluid and she wheezed and dragged herself across the dirty concrete floor, leaving a slime trail behind her._

_"Mom?" Bella's voice came from the struggling form. I darted over to her, tripping once over the table leg next to the box I had been sitting on. Bella moaned and her skin moved like it was full of snakes. I swallowed down the bile that rose in my throat and focused only on what mattered: my daughter._

_"Bella," I whispered as I hovered my hand over her mutilated body. How was she even still alive? "What can I do, baby?" Tears fogged my vision and dribbled onto her body, instantly absorbing upon contact like she was a sponge._

_"No!" Bella gasped as I felt something grab the hand that was near where I knew her left shoulder should have been. "No! Get away from me!"_

_Black vines held my arm harshly, slithering around it and squeezing. I felt the bones pop and break and I let out a gasp of pain and surprise, trying to pull away from the impossible hold. The vines moved higher and squeezed more – tighter still, like a boa constrictor._

_The tendrils dug into my skin and I felt them running through my veins like acid. I screamed out as Bella shrieked something incomprehensible. My heart pounded like a hummingbird's wings and the slithering things moved and impaled me further, attacking my stomach and peeling my skin away._

_"Mom!"_

_They reached my face and my eyes rolled back, praying for a quick end to this pain. I felt my body pull apart and go numb, and then I knew no more._

_}_

**-Chapter 13: Twisted Metal-**

The trees started to blur by as I bounded farther and farther into the forest without any regard for secrecy. It was raining, and the pellets felt like cool pinpricks as I vaulted through the downpour. My legs pumped like pistons and I could feel the tightness in my muscles from pushing them to the limit. They didn't hurt, but they almost seemed to ache as I pushed against my top speed threshold.

I wasn't really thinking or paying attention to where I was going; I was tuned out and running on autopilot. Thinking hurt too much. But though I tried to keep my brain turned off, thoughts leaked through all the same.

Who was I, if not Bella Swan? Was I even a person or I was I just an imitation – a mimicry of a human being? My thoughts spiraled past memories of my father, weak as they were; of fishing trips and summertime visits. I hated fishing and was never good at it, but it made Charlie happy to teach me how to cast a line out into the water. He would always hook the worm for me.

I choked as images of my mother flitted past next. Her smiling, childish face glowing as she looked down at me from within some un-indexed memory. Renee's face melted into a grimace as the life was crushed out of her and her eyes glazed over. The depression and self-loathing pressed down on me and I closed my eyes tightly, running blindly now through the forest.

They weren't my parents – not _technically_; not really. I wasn't Bella; I was just the thing that killed her and stole her life.

But it felt so real – so legitimate! I couldn't reconcile what Carlisle had told me with the life I knew. Perhaps he was mistaken, though? Carlisle admitted he didn't know everything about me from that sample – he said he could spend a decade studying me and not really know everything. Just because he _thought_ I was never human didn't make it so.

But then a part of me knew he was right – and maybe I suspected it all along, deep down. I had killed and absorbed the memories of others, an amalgamation of thoughts and ideas that weren't my own, but I had always tried to block them out. They were wrong – alien – they shouldn't be there; each one I consumed made _me_ just another number in the horde, and I never tried to think about them.

But I was thinking now, and I couldn't stop.

I had made peace with the fact I wasn't human a while ago, even before I came to forks. No amount of psychic blocks or denial could hide my physiology from myself. I was a monster, there was never any doubt in my mind.

But to have always been _this_. To not really have an identity or even a name – just the one from my first victim – it was too much. I was just so lost.

My feet stuttered against the floor for a moment as my eyes opened and caught sight of the pavement of the highway ahead of me, but it was only for a second. I continued ahead, even as the telltale high-beams of a vehicle ghosted between the trees and the faint sound of a motor running rumbled underneath the continuous pellet of rain. A part of me – the largest part – screamed at me to stop; I would reveal myself and hurt whoever happened to be driving by.

A middle-aged man was driving in a dated, silver minivan down the road. A woman – likely his wife – sat next to him in the passenger side; I couldn't see her face completely, but she had dirty blonde hair that reached her shoulder. Another person – a boy – was stretched out in the back seat.

My clothes shuddered over my skin as I rebelled against the human part of me – the part that so obviously belonged to Bella – and bounded out of the tree line. I plowed through the silver van's side with a wild tackle, satisfaction flooding my veins at the sound of shrieking and bending metal as the vehicle's sides collapsed under my blow.

The driver's side came off the ground and the frame groaned as the passengers' minds finally caught up with what was happening. I pushed the fan off the road like it was made of Styrofoam, sending it careening down the hill, where it rolled twice before slamming into the opposite tree line. It rocked once and settled, smoke hissing out of the mutilated hood.

I stood staring at the ruined van for a minute, letting the raindrops fall unobstructed onto me from my spot on the pavement. The guilt and revulsion washed over me and I let out a single, dry sob as I watched for any sign of movement from the twisted metal below me. I steeled myself and ground my teeth together, forcing my head to turn away from the wreck.

_It's not me feeling these things. It's not real – _Bella_'s not even real._

I could hear another car approaching in the distance, coming from the same direction as the van. I pivoted and faced the sound, considering what to do. My eyes flitted to the tire marks and uncovered soil on the ground, an obvious sign that an accident had taken place, and I decided to get out of sight. I bounded back across the road in the direction I came, leaping up into a tree far enough back that no one would be able to see me from the road.

I wasn't entirely sure why I waited to see if the car would see the wreck. The conscious part of my brain – the 'Bella' part – needed, I think, to make sure the victims of my wrath didn't go unnoticed. This was my mess I had made, and I needed to make sure it was cleaned up.

But then the other, more predatory part of me, wanted another victim – it wanted to feed. It recognized the car crash as a lure, set expertly to draw in curious eyes for me to consume. A shiver rolled through my limbs at the thought, but I couldn't tell if it was one of pleasure or revulsion.

A tan-colored Honda rounded the bend, the window wipers moving furiously back and forth as its tires pushed through the water clinging to the road. Even through the rain and despite the distance, I was able to make out the familiar face of Jessica Stanley in the driver's seat.

My eyes stayed pinned to her as her car moved close enough for her to notice the totaled van crumpled against the trees, and I was able to catch her pupils dilating and her mouth parting as she finally saw it. Red light flared brighter from behind the Honda as she stopped at the side of the road and jumped out into the rain, holding a hand over her eyes as she jogged closer to see through the broken glass.

After a moment, she pulled a cell phone out of her jeans pocket and dialed a number on it, holding it to her ear as she rushed back to her car. She slipped once, managing to catch herself before toppling over, and as the speaker shifted away from her ear I was able to hear the distant hum of someone speaking on the other end. I was too far away to hear any words, but I was reasonably sure it was the police she was talking to.

Jessica got back into her car and turned on the emergency lights before pulling farther off the road. She snapped the phone shut and leaned back in her seat, breathing quickly and shallowly; fog began to build up along the driver's side window as she worked to calm herself down.

I watched her for almost two minutes before I noticed it, a movement from the woods behind the wreck drew my focus.

The unmistakable, enormous head of a werewolf poked through the dense foliage, its nose flaring as it angled toward the ground near the van. I stilled instantly on my perch, the breath I was taking frozen in my lungs. He hadn't seen me yet, I was almost positive, but I couldn't move a muscle – couldn't draw his attention to my hiding place.

The wolf moved out of the forest and slinked along the trench marks left in the soft ground, which were already filled-in with water from the torrential downpour. My insides writhed as I recognized him as Paul, the wolf most likely to try to kill me on a good day, much less one where I murdered a van-full of people.

My eyes flickered to Jessica, but she seemed to be pointedly ignoring the future crime scene, staring behind her car through the side mirror. I wasn't sure if her eyes would have been able to see Paul's dark-silver fur through the rain, even if she _was_ looking, but it was a stroke of luck that she wasn't. No good could come of a human being discovering a horse-sized wolf perusing through a car accident.

Paul moved away from the wreck – toward me – and paused, his muzzle pressed near the ground. His black lips pulled back over his white teeth and he let loose a rumbling growl that rolled into a snarl. His head swiveled and he scented the air, trotting up to the road and standing brazenly on the pavement as he crouched low and bared his teeth in the direction I was hiding.

"Oh my god," Jessica gasped from inside her car. I heard her fumble around inside the car and I shifted my eyes back to her in time to see the locks go down on the doors – as if that would save her from the mutant wolf. But Paul paid her no mind, completely ignoring the panic-stricken girl as he made it across the road and into the thin opening of trees near my hiding spot.

_Shit!_

My mind raced as I considered what to do. Paul had obviously caught my scent and was moments away from finding me. Should I fight, then? The werewolf was surprisingly alone, without his pack to help him, and wouldn't be difficult to kill. But the other wolves would surely find out if I killed him, right? Or would the rain wash away my scent before any of them came across the wreck?

I watched the muscles on his back bunch and ripple as he walked up to the tree I was hiding on, and suddenly my time was up. I needed to act now if I wanted to have the advantage – he hadn't found me yet. Vines of red and black slithered down my arms and hands as they morphed into the familiar set of claws, the oversized talons slicing into the tree bark as they formed.

I pushed off the branch and dove toward the ground like a missile, my claws extended and ready to tear through the soft meat of the werewolf. I didn't count on Paul being able to react so fast, though, and he was able to dodge out of the way before I was able to impale him. The talons on my right arm tore a deep gash on his side as I impacted with the ground, leaving a sizable crater and flinging mud in all directions.

Paul snapped at me to keep me from lunging, and did so even as blood trickled down the mauled side of his body, the fur staining maroon as it collected in his pelt. I waited in a crouch and shot forward as his teeth mashed together in the air, swiping my right claw upward in an attempt to spear the underside of his throat. My eyes went wide as he was able to dodge this as well and counter with impossible speed.

His enormous jaws crunched down on my forearm, slicing easily into my flesh. I flexed my clawed hand and the tendrils inside my arm writhed, damaging myself further as the wolf's teeth shredded the tissue as it shifted. I let out a gasp and panicked, attempting to pull my arm out of his bear-trap-like maw regardless of the physical damage I was inflicting on myself. His paws dug into the mud as my flailing dragged him forward and dollops of black ooze plopped down and mixed with the churning mud beneath our feet.

Suddenly, my feet were pulled out from under me and I was flung backward, toward the road. I slid over the slick pavement for a few meters before the friction caught me and I tumbled to a stop on my back. I could hear the growling wolf approaching again and I struggled to get to my feet as shooting pains rippled over my body. My mangled arm began to knit itself back together, the red and black tendrils weaving my skin back to its unblemished state.

"Oh my god, Bella?" Jessica's voice came from somewhere over my head. A car door opened and I hoped she wasn't stupid enough to come over here. She had already seen too much.

I was on my feet when the wolf came stomping up to the side of the road, keeping a safe distance between us. Even though Paul was a wolf and didn't have the correct facial muscles for it, I could have sworn he was smirking. His eyes gleamed with satisfaction and anger.

My right arm shifted and elongated, losing its rigidity and becoming fluid; a razor-sharp spear formed at the tip. I drew my shoulders back and hung the whip-arm behind me, taking a ready stance as I sunk into a crouch. With a heave, I flung the spear out toward Paul like a shot. The Quileute was _fast_, but he had never seen me use something like this; they had only seen my more static weapons and increased strength, and had no idea I could fight at range.

Paul ducked and was impaled through his shoulder instead of his chest; he howled as the bone splintered and gave under the force of the throw. My appendage wrapped around his body like it had the bear I ate, the barbed sides embedding into his flesh. Like he had done to me, I flung the wolf through the air; his body tumbled and rolled as he unraveled. As the spear was pulled out of his body, a sickening, wet popping sound rang out and Paul crashed into the pavement on the other side of Jessica's car.

My whip-arm retracted quickly, the barbs scraping eerily against the damp pavement. I flexed my fingers as my hand reformed, jogging past Jessica – who was completely petrified, leaning against the side of her car with the driver's side door open – and approaching the heap of collapsed wolf with caution.

The steady rise of Paul's chest was the only indicator he was still alive. He was bloody and beaten, and the shoulder I impaled looked like it had been sent through a paper shredder. The bone stuck out of the mutilated flesh and hung at an unnatural angle, appearing completely wrenched out of the socket and grinded into several different shards. A wave of pity wove through me, but this had to be done.

I was finished with this, this idea of normality. It was childish to think something like me could live peacefully with my father – who wasn't even my father, after all. It was foolish of me to tiptoe around to appease a group of monsters that would hate me anyway, one of which hadn't even given me a chance to explain before he went for the kill. And so it was then that I overcame that intrinsic sense of moral right and wrong I had been wrestling with and gripped Paul's body tightly, slamming my fist through his chest and invading his body with my own.

The wolf whimpered as my tendrils dug through his tissue, branching off like roots and embedding deep inside. It was a slow-going process, and I marveled for a moment at the werewolves' resilience to infection; resilience, but not immunity. Paul's body finally fell apart after a few seconds and collapsed in a sea of red, staining the pavement as the final groups of tissues writhed and slithered back into me with a slurping, sucking sound.

"What the fuck…" Jessica's voice came from behind me. I began to turn around to face her when my head was assaulted with a flood of memories.

_"…the wolves are our brothers…"_

_"…and it will be OK, son; La Push isn't so far away, after all…"_

_"…chosen to protect the tribe is a great honor…"_

_"Look at you, growing up so fast. You'll have to beat the girls off with sticks…"_

_…I can take care of this bitch before Sam orders me to stop; there's no one out on patrol to tattle…_

My vision swam as I came back to reality with my hands clenched over my head. I could feel Paul's memories and thoughts filing themselves away inside my head, spreading and tucking themselves away in the multi-layered web of chaos that was my mind. I knew now why Paul was alone.

The wolves sent a few of their pack to check out what was happening in Tacoma; they didn't trust us at all. Since the pack was spread thin, only one wolf was out at a time for patrol – Paul – and he was _supposed_ to howl to signal the pack if anything happened. Fortunately, he didn't alert the others; he thought he could take me himself. I smiled at the memories of practicing with the pack to fight someone like me; they had tried to prepare the best they could.

I staggered to my feet and breathed deeply, taking in the rusted scent that permeated the area from the goopy pile of bloodied fur that stained the road. My eyes met Jessica's, a look of disbelief and paralyzing horror charred on her face, and I took a step forward. She flinched and hit her back against the opened car door, the blood draining from her face and her knuckles turning white from how hard she was gripping the car frame.

The unmistakable sound of a police siren echoed from a couple miles away and I mentally cursed; there was no way to clean up my little _accident_ before more witnesses showed up. I cocked my head to the side and continued to stare at Jessica Stanley as she gaped at me.

"What am I going to do with you?" I mumbled.

* * *

**End notes:** Hmm. A mixed bag of reviews for the last chapter. Some praise, some criticism, and some misinformed criticism. Let's dig right in, shall we?

Yes, the Bella that has been telling the story is technically a virus that made Bella its first victim. This was planned and very much needed to be a part of the story, but the implications are not _so_ much different than having her be a 'human with strange powers.'

On that same note, I feel I must inform some of the reviewers that Alex Mercer _was_ very much the Blacklight virus. He died when he broke the vial before the game started and the virus replaced every cell in his body. Look it up if you don't believe me (or play the game and look through the 'Web of Intrigue').

I still have a few surprises up my sleeve. Don't you worry about it being too predictable (although we're not talking Bioshock level surprises here, so don't get your hopes up that much). And as for not being able to absorb vampire DNA...well...just chillax, I got you covered, baby. She'll definitely be evolving pretty damn soon.

Guest: _As a writer you need to remember most people who play the game would NEVER read twilight so you need to explain more indepth! When you rewrite something you cant then expect you readers to just know whats going on if you don't type it, it doesn't exist_

A few things. First, I'd like to point out the subtle irony in this review. Second, the events that happened (at least in Forks, regarding the Cullens) _has_ been covered. It might not have been specific or all at once, but then again Bella only got the highlights from talking with the Cullens. But I do get what you're saying and I'll keep it in mind as I continue on. Thirdly, it's a Twilight fanfiction in the Twilight category.

Guest:_ I like the idea of this story but your doing waaaaaaaaaaaaay to much romance set up between the girls (not all of your readers are going to be 13 year old love struck)s to be too heavy on romance plot but you have skipped over a lot of the story that the books covered... and that's not even counting what you should be doing with the Bella powers angle... I applaud your dedication to realism and totally agree but you've throw out a lot of the point of the prototype games (EVOLUTION and CHANGE) when useful DNA is encountered_

The first time I read the first sentence of that review I assumed it said there wasn't enough romance...and then I read it again and my face went all strange-like. What are you talking about? This story is Bella/Alice, yes, but it's not the _focus_; they're still friends at this point.

I apologize for the slow update, but classes have started and have been draining my time. Also, I changed the rating to 'M,' since I am pretty sure the story is only going to get more graphic.


	14. Adapt or Die

**-Chapter 14: Adapt or Die-**

"What am I going to do with you?" I said to myself.

I took a step forward and Jessica quivered in fear, looking like she _wanted_ to take a step backward and move away from me, but wasn't able to. Jessica's eyes flickered behind me and her eyes widened as she took in a deep breath – she looked relieved. I turned my head forty-five degrees and realized she must have just now heard the approaching police sirens and thought they would be able to help.

_Were it so easy._

I examined Jessica's face intently, debating with myself. Should I kill her? Should I let her go? If I let her go, will she tell anyone what she saw?

Of course she would.

My teeth ground together. I didn't _want_ to have to kill Jessica. I felt bad for killing _Paul_, and he was trying to murder me; gutting a classmate just seemed so…cold. I expected the part of me that hated Bella's compassion and kindness to rear up and demand I kill her just because I cared, but no such feeling came to be. I felt…drained and worn down, even with my sizable meal. I didn't have to prove I wasn't the real Bella Swan by killing Jessica – I had already done that by eating Paul.

My shoulders bunched and my muscles locked as the siren grew dangerously close; it was just around the bend. I couldn't make a decision, but I was out of time and I had to act fast. My mass gathered in my legs and I crouched, springing swiftly toward Jessica with hurtling speed. The girl sucked air down her throat to scream, but my shoulder knocked into her chest as I picked her up in a running tackle.

The noise that came out of her sounded more like a choke than a scream as she hung over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes. I cut across the highway and sprinted into the woods as fast as I could, trying to distance myself enough from the crime scene that nobody would hear Jessica calling for help.

She fought against my grip the whole way, beating my back with clenched fists and kicking my thighs; she had even resorted to hair-pulling. Once we were a safe-enough distance away from the crash, I stopped and set Jessica down next to a wide tree that provided cover from the rain. She shivered as she crab-walked away from me, dirtying her soaked clothing with mud.

"W-w-what…" Jessica stuttered, flinching as her back hit against the bark of the tree. She was breathing hard, borderline hyperventilating. "B-Bella?"

The rage and confusion from Carlisle's reveal began to shrink and I was able to think more rationally. My palms planted themselves inside my eye sockets and I let out a groan, falling to my knees in the wet, sloppy mud. I drug my fingers down my face, digging the tips into my skin and wishing halfheartedly that it was my claws slicing into my head.

I had acted like a child throwing a temper tantrum. The poor family I had killed hadn't deserved what had happened to them, no, but that was only a fraction of the damage I had caused. Stupid. Stupid. _Stupid._

It was unlikely the crash could be linked to the virus – to _me_ – but it would definitely cause waves in the small town of Forks. Focus would be placed here now, on figuring out exactly _how_ a vehicle was t-boned on a straight highway. It was impossible to tell if the scientist types looking into the attack in Tacoma would take the logical leap that whatever killed those people came here, but it was a distinct possibility – even though I really _wasn't_ responsible for those murders.

And now I was missing – or _would_ be going missing. The daughter of the police chief doesn't _go_ missing without serious inquiries being made. That would mean flyers and possibly news coverage, compounding the spotlight onto Forks. People would wonder, and I could almost imagine the whispers among them.

_"Bella disappeared at the same time those poor people were killed; isn't that odd?"_ It would be odd and circumstantial, but the schizophrenic part of me feared that the government would _know_. I was afraid they would come here and pull up my life – prod Charlie for information.

A shiver went down my spine.

If they questioned my father at all – if they even _looked_ at our history – they would know it was me. They would know I was living in Phoenix when the virus touched down. They would know I was _missing_ for months. And they would know I came here, to Washington, the same place another apparent viral attack happened.

Anger replaced the cold fear and I growled low in my chest. I _loathed_ the damn mutated freak that had decided to nest in Washington along with me. In that moment it didn't matter that it was my mistake that would draw the public's eye to Forks; I _hated_ whoever released the virus – released me!

Another shiver went down my spine, but this one was hot and sharp instead of clammy. My muscles locked and my back arched, out of my control, and a grunt escaped my mouth at the frightening sensation. Out of the corner of my eye I could still see a frightened and confused Jessica, her back plastered to the tree with her arms wrapped around her legs.

My focus dissolved as liquid pain flowed through my body, my insides popping and fizzing as they writhed. I let out a strangled shriek as my vision blurred and the sounds and smells of the forest dampened like I was under water. My equilibrium failed and the ground was suddenly meeting my face; my face rubbed into the mud as I struggled against the fire in my veins.

And then I grew.

It happened with a quiet, wet, slopping sound, like a drenched shirt flopping against bare skin. I think I must have moaned or yelled, but I wasn't able to hear my own voice over my insides shifting and pulling apart. Parts of me elongated while others changed positions, morphing me haphazardly into something I wasn't sure I would recognize if I could see what was happening.

I wasn't in control of what happened next, nor did I completely understand it. The pain faded suddenly and my body lunged forward, a shrill scream rang out, and warm blood splashed across my face and body. My jaws moved apart and clenched shut over and over, crunching and tearing as I felt my body fill up with warmth. Tendrils latched on and pulled tissue back to me and a strange sort of hacking, rumbling sound came out of my throat.

The fog receded from my mind and I scrambled back away from the bloody pulp splattered across the tree bark and muddy ground. I tried to let out a gasp, but instead it came out as a screech. Nothing seemed right; I was too high up and I felt _strange_. Movement caught my eye as I backed up further, drawing my gaze downward and forcing another screech to scratch its way out of my throat.

I didn't have any hands.

It was more startling than it should have been, considering I spent a great deal of time with my arms morphed one way or another, but it shocked me nonetheless. Stubby claws rested on the ground in place of my normal hands – not nearly as sharp or intimidating as my usual sort of claws. I flexed them experimentally, disappointed in the limited range of movement I was able to get out of them.

It was at this moment that I realized two things.

One: I was on all fours, though I was slightly taller than I was in my normal form. I flexed what my brain mapped as my toes and was rewarded with a familiar, inhibited flexing of what I understood to be my back claws.

Two: I had some sort of snout. It was distracting once I noticed it, and seemed to be much larger than it probably was. It was black, like my claws were, and seemed misshapen and haggard; somehow not completely formed.

I thought back to consuming Paul and immediately considered the fact that I was a werewolf now. It was an anomaly, though; I had never lost control and transformed after eating someone. My claws had evolved after eating one of the mutants in Phoenix – the ones I had described to the Cullens – but the transformation wasn't so severe.

But perhaps that was because the two of us – the mutant and me – were so biologically similar? Maybe this is what it was like to gain attributes from something that wasn't infected? It seemed a good hypothesis, but I shook my head as another observation came to light.

My skin and features – the ones I could see, anyway – weren't like Paul's wolf form at all. Yes, I was on all fours and had a snout, but even _that_ wasn't wolf-like; it was more stout than long, and didn't appear to have any fur on it. In fact, I couldn't see fur anywhere. My muscular front legs and claws were a rough black color that was similar to my other transformations.

So what was I, then? What had I transformed into if not a werewolf? My head swiveled as I searched for a reflective surface and I glanced at the bloodied tree, my mouth parting as I finally recognized what all the blood and gore that covered the bottom of the tree meant. I had…_killed_ Jessica and I hadn't even realized it.

I was running before I knew it, sprinting away from what was left of my classmate. A whining screech bubbled out of my maw as I considered how I had lost control and _killed_ Jessica. There was no conscious awareness to it when it happened; there was only the feeling of satisfaction and wholeness as I broke her body down into pieces and _ate_ her.

I didn't need a shrink to draw the parallels; I understood how similar Renee and Jessica's deaths were, though I wished I could just forget. Almost as though my own mind was taunting me, Jessica's last thoughts and feelings popped into my head and played like a movie reel. Disbelief, desperation, and petrifying fear wove in and out of the memory of her watching me.

I tried to rationalize her death. Logically, killing her was the only thing that made sense. Jessica saw _everything_. Not only did she see me, but she saw Paul in his wolf form. She would have told someone what she saw – Me, Bella Swan, fighting a gigantic wolf with her bare hands before I ate it. Nothing good would have come of it.

_Nothing good at all._

And that's what I told myself; I repeated the mantra in my head and remembered it wasn't only my secret that was exposed when she saw what she saw. I would forget, like I had so many times, that I had killed a human being and enjoyed it. Nothing good. Nothing good at all.

_I'm really running fast._

My footsteps faltered at the thought, but I recovered quickly and continued sprinting through the sea of trees. I was higher up and was running on all fours, but even with those differences the velocity I was running at was apparent. My stride was strong and even, and I felt just as comfortable at this higher speed as I did on two legs; there was no exhaustion or breathlessness – no fatigue at all.

I turned and headed back in the other direction once I realized if I kept heading in a straight line I would quickly run out of land to cover. I was thankful for the distraction from thoughts of murder, and considered if this new speed was fast enough to keep up with a vampire – was I faster? I didn't have a frame of reference to measure with, but it _felt_ like I was traveling fast enough to keep up with one of the Cullens.

I caught the scent of fresh water and slowed down to a trot. The rain had stopped sometime during my escape, but trickles of water still spilled off the tops of the trees in a pitter-patter rhythm. The sky was still a perpetual grey color, though it had lightened as the rainfall waned.

My claw-paws rested on the bank of the spring my nose had led me toward, digging an inch into the sand-mud mixture and creating mini-pools of ice-cold spring water in the indentations. I sniffed again and took several steps forward, submerging my legs halfway in. Inky clouds of dirty water floated away from my legs as I gazed down into the rippling water.

I had been right: I was no werewolf. My transformed self looked…_monstrous_. Black seemed to be the primary color, but along my stubby muzzle and back along my sides were rivers of burned crimson, like exposed veins. It was a very gory look – the veins made my black flesh look like it was skinned and burned to a crisp.

My mouth bore razor-sharp, stark-white teeth. I pulled back the charred gums of my new face and sneered at my distorted reflection. They were haggard and abominable as well – looking more like a shark's mouth than a wolf's. There were no identifiable canine fangs; they all had roughly the same dagger-like appearance.

I shivered at my eyes as my reflection analyzed me. They were a glowing, demonic red color. There were no irises or pupils, just two solid red orbs that darted inside large white sclera. I closed my eyes and concentrated, allowing my quadrupedal body to pull apart and weave back into my human appearance.

The face I had always believed belonged to me stared back up from the water as I opened my eyes. The gentle bubbling of the spring and the smell of the forest were both dampened now, but still soothing. I cocked my head to the side as I stood in the water, considering my new 'quirk' and the apparent super-senses it gave me. I knew vampires had a greater sense of smell and a larger range of hearing than I did, but the idea that the wolves would have those evolved senses had eluded me.

A gentle prodding stroked the back of my mind like a half-forgotten thought. I turned around in the spring, sloshing the shin-deep water around, and frowned, trying to remember whatever it was that I had forgotten. My back straightened and I took a step out of the spring as the deadline popped back into my head.

I remembered I needed to hurry to Port Angeles for my mom. The packages she had ordered last minute had arrived at Walmart and she was too busy working to pick them up. It was raining hard so I wasn't able to go as fast as I usually would, but hopefully the rain would let up before I made the trip home. I didn't _really_ understand why mom couldn't have mailed the packages to…to…

My legs buckled and I fell to my hands and knees in the ice water, my fingers clenching a handful of muddy sand as I shivered from the alien thought. Black ink leaked from my eyes and dripped into the clear water, dissipating quickly.

Tendrils writhed as my body shifted again, my reflection in the water smoothing away into the face of Jessica Stanley. Her reflection – _my_ reflection, now – stared up at me with haunted eyes and a black-streaked face from the viral tears running down her nose. I clenched my eyes shut and reabsorbed the liquid that clung to my face, opening my eyes to a physically pristine reflection of Jessica.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered. I flicked my hand across the surface of the water to ruin the image and sighed into the cool water. "I'm sorry."

* * *

My truck was sitting in the driveway when I got home after a few more hours at the spring. Charlie's cruiser was missing and the lights were out in the house, despite the late hour. I pulled the key ring out of the truck's ignition and unlocked the front door, taking a moment to stand in the doorway and peer into the living room. I took a forced step inside and closed the door behind me.

Making the decision to come home wasn't an easy one, but even with all the horrible things I had just done, I couldn't just disappear and draw more attention to Charlie. I might not technically be his daughter, but it still _felt_ that way. It was difficult not to let the truth of my existence be compressed and hidden away in denial and continue on masquerading as Isabella Swan.

There weren't any notes on the refrigerator or the cork board near the new telephone, so Charlie was probably working late. My head dipped as I recognized _I_ was most likely the cause of the overtime. I ascended the stairs swiftly and switched on my bedroom light – I didn't need it on to see, but I knew it would give Charlie peace of mind to see that I was home when he pulled up.

It felt strange being in my room now; almost like I was intruding. I ignored the queasy feeling I had and lied down on my bed, watching the wire inside the light bulb as it glowed inside the glass outside.

I wasn't quite sure how long I stayed there on my bed, staring up at the ceiling, but an indeterminate amount of time later there was a rushing sound – like passing wind – and the tree outside creaked and groaned. My head tilted and I gazed out of the window, pursing my lips as Alice's worried face peered in at me. I turned away and resumed my light bulb gazing.

It was no surprise at all when I heard the sound of the window sliding open, creaking as it went. Quiet footsteps danced over to me and I caught the outline of Alice's face out of the corner of my eye. An arm extended halfway and her body shifted back and forth, as though she was unsure where to place herself. I let out a sigh and decided to end her awkwardness.

"What are you doing here, Alice?"

"Carlisle was worried about you," she said quietly. "_I_ was worried about you." I turned my head to look at her as she leaned against my bedroom wall. She wore a frown on her face as she stared at me. "Are you OK, Bella?"

"Don't you know?" I scoffed, pushing myself up into a sitting position with my back against the headboard of my bed. Alice shook her head, her frown deepening.

"No, that's why I asked," Alice drawled dryly. After a moment a look of comprehension came over her face. "Was it the test results?" My eyebrows rose.

"I thought you said you didn't know."

"I don't," Alice let out an exasperated sigh. "Carlisle takes confidentiality very seriously, Bella; he wouldn't tell us even if we asked him to." Her face contorted in a sympathetic wince. "Bad news, I take it?"

"The worst sort," I barked a short, try laugh.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Alice asked, moving to the foot of my bed. She gestured to it and I nodded, folding up my legs to give her space to sit down.

"I'm not sure how talking would help," I mumbled as she sat down. My eyes traced the individual strands that made up the comforter we were sitting on. I could make out bits of dirt and discolored strands from stains not completely removed. My eyes traveled back up and locked with Alice's golden irises.

"You might be surprised, Bella," Alice gave me a look of understanding. I looked back down.

"I killed Jessica," I blurted out, tucking my chin even farther into my chest. "And Paul." _And a van-full of people,_ I added silently, though I didn't even know their names.

"I know," Alice said. My head snapped up to look at her. She still wore the same serene look on her face; not a single ounce of judgment anywhere.

"You know?" I asked. She nodded her head and put her hands in her lap. "How? I thought you couldn't see – you didn't have a vision of it happening, did you?"

"I had a vision of the search party being put together to look for Jessica," she explained. "I followed you scent from our house and found…" She trailed off and I nodded my head and looked away.

"I didn't mean for Jessica to be killed," I sighed. "I didn't even know what I was doing."

"You sort of just tune out," Alice spoke up. "You're still aware of everything that's happening, but in that moment it seems so far away compared to the kill that's right in front of you." My face must have been something strange, but Alice only pursed her lips and let out a breath. "It's happened to all of us, Bella – even Esme."

"It _shouldn't_ have happened at all," I clenched my fists. "I didn't just lose control – It wasn't a slip – I was just stupid and pissed off. I shouldn't have taken it out on those people." A cold hand lightly touched my fists.

"What happened?" Alice asked. "What's wrong?" I looked at her intently, warring with myself over what to tell her. Her expression was sincere and focused, though the set of her eyebrows displayed a sort of hesitance.

"I don't know who I am," I admitted, enunciating each word slowly, the inner struggle I had been wrestling with seemed to bubble out of me of its own accord. "I'm not the person I thought I was." A microscopic wince flew across Alice's features so fast, if I hadn't been watching her the entire time I would have surely missed it. Her features set in a determined expression.

"You're Bella," she said with confidence. My head was shaking before she even completed my name. "You are Bella." She repeated. She cocked her head to the side and gave me a long look before the corners of her mouth turned upward into a bright smile. "Come on," she said, grabbing my hand and tugging me off the bed.

"Alice, what the hell are you doing?" I complained, but allowed her to tow me toward the window.

"Sitting in here isn't going to help you," she explained quickly. "And I owe you a piggy back ride." I tried to tell her no and shrug her off, but she was a hardheaded little thing and wouldn't accept my disapproval.

"Alright, just hold on," I pulled her back in through the window she was already halfway out of. "Fine; I'll go. I need to leave a note for Charlie first, so he doesn't –" I took a step back as Alice flitted out of my room and downstairs, returning less than two seconds later and throwing me over her short back.

"All taken care of," Alice chimed and leaped out my second story window. I ducked my head out of instinct, afraid that the awkward grapple Alice had me in would cause one of us to hit the wood panel, but somehow we managed to contort our way through without a scrape.

The next few minutes were a strange sort of tranquil excitement as Alice carried me at speeds I had only tapped in my new quadruped form. A smile stretched across my face as we cut through the wind like a knife, the air blowing past almost whistling.

The smooth ride rapidly turned rugged as Alice began to ascend the curving landscape. The trees started to thin slightly as we rose higher and my head tilted up, gazing at the snow-capped mountain that had somehow snuck up on us. The temperature dropped and the cloud of fog cleared as we went higher and higher.

The incline quickly grew too steep even for a vampire to run across. With a jolting lunge, Alice catapulted us up and began to crawl up the sheer rock like Spider-Man, her tiny fingers leaving indentions where they gripped. She gave a final thrust upward and we sailed up onto a rock formation that jutted out of the nearly-vertical slope like a shoulder.

I dropped down off her back and took a few steps until I was at the edge of the rock. My smile didn't leave my face as I looked down at the sea of fog that covered the deep green below it like a skin. The moon could be seen more clearly here, but it was still slightly filtered by the higher-up clouds that made the sky in between seem endless.

Alice stepped up to my side and took a seat, hanging her feet over the rock. I copied her and sat down, watching the strange effects weak moonlight had on her skin. It wasn't anything like seeing her in the sun – it was far less dramatic. She almost seemed to _glow_ in the dark, the way the light reflected off of her – I had a feeling that even if I was human I wouldn't have a problem seeing her in the dark.

"Alice isn't my real name, you know," she said, looking out into the sea of fog. "I was born in 1901 as Mary Alice Brandon in Biloxi, Mississippi. I had a younger sister, Cynthia; her daughter is still alive today. My parents institutionalized because I had visions of the future. I was changed into a vampire by one of the staff there to keep another vampire from hunting me."

I didn't say anything to her. I wasn't sure what _to_ say, much less why she was telling me the abridged version of her human life. Alice looked back at me and caught my eye, smiling sadly and looking back at the swimming cloud banks.

"I can tell you all that, but I don't remember any of it," she sighed and folded her legs up underneath her, turning to look at me. "All I remember is my life as a vampire; I've had to piece together the details of my former life."

"I'm sorry, Alice," I frowned at her. She rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"I'm not telling you this to make you feel sorry for me; I'm actually trying to make a point."

"Could you retard it down a few levels for me, then?" I winced. "I'm not sure I exactly get what you're trying to say." Alice chuckled under her breath.

"You told me you weren't the person you thought you were, but that doesn't matter, Bella," Alice gave me a small smile. "You don't need your past to define your future. I have no idea who I was as a human – maybe I was the same as I am now, but then again, maybe I was more like Rosalie. The point is: I don't let who I might have been affect who I _am_, and you shouldn't either."

"Hmm," I hummed and turned back to look at the sky, thinking over her advice.

Truth be told, I wasn't entirely convinced Alice's advice was applicable to me, since she was always Alice and didn't eat and replace her like I did to Bella. I began to imagine what a human Alice might have looked and acted like, though all I could see in my head was her as she was now – a vampire.

But she wasn't _always_ a vampire. She had had an entire life that she couldn't even remember. I could remember most things about my childhood, though it was difficult to differentiate Renee's memories from my own.

I was confused. Alice's advice was beginning to make sense to me, but I wasn't sure I would ever reconcile who Bella was and who – what – I am. It was a step forward from hate and self-loathing, though. I turned halfway back to Alice, who was watching the sky with me.

"Thanks, Alice."

"You're welcome, Bella."

* * *

**End notes:** So, three weeks, huh? That sort of sucks. I hope you haven't died of old age waiting for this update (JOKE).

I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge _Stormcrow_, who was crazy awesome enough to go through each chapter and leave a small review. I literally received a notification every five minutes or so and there was an entire wall of "you have a new review" messages in my inbox.

Stay classy (but not too classy; save some for the next update so you can be classy then as well).


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